Credit: Wikipedia / Brazil President Jair Messias Bolsonaro

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Newly inaugurated far-right President Jair Bolsonaro announced this week  he is pulling out of a United Nations agreement protecting the rights of migrants. Brazil joins just a handful of countries—led by the United States—that refused to ratify the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration last month. More than 160 other nations have signed on to the migration pact adopted by the UN General Assembly last month.  Barely two weeks in office, the newly-elected president wasted no time  flexing his anti-immigrant muscle.  Brazil was among the majority of countries that signed onto the compact, under the country’s previous administration. More than 700,000 registered immigrants live in Brazil, according to the Migration Policy Institute, along with several hundred thousand more undocumented immigrants, NPR reported.  By far the largest segment comes from Portugal, followed by Japan, Italy, Paraguay and Bolivia. Meanwhile, Brazil has become one of the primary destinations for an increasing number of Venezuelans fleeing a political and economic crisis at home. At least 65,000 Venezuelans have sought asylum in Brazil over the last four years, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.  

Photo by Gary Raynaldo /  UN logo on window at the world body’s world headquarters in New York.

The UN migration pact lays out 23 objectives to ensure “safe, orderly and regular” migration, including protecting migrants from exploitation and human rights abuses. 

United States Among 5 Member States Voting Against The Global Migrant Compact. According to the U.N., the document is the first-ever negotiated global framework on a common approach to international migration in all its dimensions.The goal of the Migrant Compact is to clamp down on dangerous and illegal movements of people across borders that have led to massive human smuggling operations globally. The Compact was adopted by the General Assembly with 152 Votes in Favor, 12 Abstentions, and Five Votes Against (United States, Israel, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland.)The Compact is not legally-binding, but provides a strong platform for cooperation on migration, drawing on best practice and international law, according to the U.N.  The United States withdrew from negotiations on the Compact in December 2017, citing concerns over America’s sovereignty.

Brazil’s new far-right president blasts UN migration pact- says country to will take hard line on Immigration

 “Immigration cannot become an indiscriminate act. It is imperative for us to establish proper criteria for each country,” said Bolsonaro, a fan of U.S. President Donald Trump who took office Jan. 1.

“If we control those who enter our homes, why should it be different with Brazil as a nation?”