UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 06th December, 2019) The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) welcomed Brazil's decision to recognize some 21,000 Venezuelan asylum-seekers as refugees on a prima facie basis, the UN Refugee Agency said in a press release on Friday.
"UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, welcomes Brazil's move to recognize thousands of Venezuelan asylum-seekers as refugees on a prima facie basis," the release said. "Some 21,000 Venezuelans in the country immediately benefited from the decision on Thursday by Brazil's National Committee for Refugees (CONARE)."
The release also said that from now on Venezuelan asylum seekers who meet the criteria of residing in Brazil, not holding any other residence permit in the country, being over 18 years old, possessing a Venezuelan identity document and having no criminal record in Brazil will be processed through an accelerated procedure, without holding an interview.
The UNHCR said that Brazilian authorities estimate that some 224,000 Venezuelans currently reside in the country, with an average of 500 refugees crossing into Brazil on a daily basis.
According to the UN, more than 750,000 asylum claims have been filed by Venezuelans worldwide, fleeing the political and humanitarian crisis in their home country. Brazil has registered over 120,000 asylum seekers so far.
Venezuela has been suffering from severe political crisis since late January when US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido proclaimed himself interim president in a bid to oust the country's leader Nicolas Maduro from power. More than 4 million Venezuelan refugees have since been forced to seek relief in neighboring nations in Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the UN.
