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By Miriam Raftery
August 6, 2021 (San Diego) – The U.S. Border Patrol reports an unprecedented wave of Brazilian nationals apprehended along the San Diego-Mexico border. Since Oct. 1, 2020, agents have apprehended over 7,300 Brazilian migrants – up from 330 for the entire fiscal year 2020. Every month since April of 2021, over 1,000 Brazilian nationals entered the U.S. across the Mexican border in the San Diego area – a staggering increase of more than 114,000% from the same timeframe in FY20, where SDC had just six total apprehensions of Brazilian nationals.
A press release issued by U.S. Border Patrol this week did not list any reasons for the spike. However, Brazil has been reeling from high COVID rates with over 20 million cases and more than a half million deaths. Unemployment is forecast to hover around 14%, for the rest of this year, according to Reuters News Service. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has also threatened not to step down if he loses reelection, some news reports indicate, perhaps stoking fears of turbulent times ahead.
“Due to language barriers and other factors, processing these large numbers of Brazilian nationals strains limited resources – increasing the number of agents removed from patrol duties and being reassigned to processing centers,” the USBP press release states. Unlike most nations in South America, many Brazilians speak Portuguese, not Spanish, and some speak indigenous languages.
USBP San Diego Sector Chief Patrol Agent Aaron M. Heitke said, “Despite the challenges, our agents remain resolute protecting America while processing migrants in a humane and professional manner. I am proud of all they do and the sacrifices they make every day.”
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