A group of about 300 migrants, the vast majority of Haitians, have been camping for four days at the Integration Bridge, which connects the Brazilian city of Assis, in the state of Acre, to the Peruvian region of Madre de Dios, to try to enter Peru to travel to other countries. .
Assis City Hall told EFE that Acre Governor Gladson Cameli contacted Brazil’s foreign ministry on Monday to “handle a humanitarian request through diplomatic channels” authorizing immigrants to enter Peruvian territory.
“They do not want to return to shelters and therefore, with the help of volunteers, we set up tents and feed the group, which has many children,” according to a spokesman for the City Hall.
The group is different from the one that arrived in Assisi last July and of which only one Cuban citizen remains in one of the shelters set up by the mayor’s office, after the rest managed to leave Brazil in other countries.
The new group, according to the mayor’s office, began arriving in late January in the southern and southeastern regions, mainly in the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Sao Paulo, after losing their jobs due to the new pandemic. Coronavirus and choose to return to your country or venture to another.
The border crossing at the Integration Bridge has been closed since March 2020 as a measure to prevent the spread of covid-19, and immigrants who were housed in Assisi had to leave the city and country on other roads and routes.
The new group left the shelters on Friday after circulating an alleged news that Peru, at the date of the Brazilian carnival, will open the border this weekend.
However, the Peruvian authorities denied the information and, on the contrary, reinforced the crossing of the border with a greater presence of armed soldiers.
Assisi Mayor Jerry Correia visited immigrants on Sunday and told local media that “the situation is chaotic and dramatic” due to the high presence of children and the categorical refusal of Haitians to return to shelters.
Correia said he met with Governor Madre de Dios Luis Hidalgo to allow Peruvian authorities to allow Haitians to enter, but the situation became more complex after Acre entered the most restrictive phase because of Covid-19, which is already in Brazil. accumulates almost ten million cases and 240,000 deaths.