The current conflict has caused many people to experience complex human security issues. Conditions such as drought, famine, and war have triggered crises that have caused many people to become refugees, both internally and externally, in various regions and beyond. The Middle East is often an example of a conflict zone that has caused its population to become victims who have fled to various regions. Wars in Palestine, civil wars in Syria and Yemen, conflicts in Lebanon, the Taliban Conflicts in Afghanistan are often the reason for the many international interventions and aid in the region. Many of them provide asylum for refugees to help people in need of protection. This is an international effort within the framework of institutional neoliberalism that presents itself as a solution to the complexity of the human security crisis that occurs transnationally and massively.
Brazil is one of 149 countries that have ratified the 1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Kyoto Protocol, which support various efforts such as protection, against gender-based violence, and the protection of unaccompanied children. As a country in the South American region and a member of the Organization of American States (OAS), Brazil provides humanitarian support to refugees and asylum seekers in various regions. Until November 2024, Brazil has been the host country for more than 790,000 refugees, asylum seekers, and people in need of international protection. Some of the refugees come from Venezuela, Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Syria, and Ukraine and arrive through Sao Paulo International Airport. Every refugee in various regions has the same rights and access. The law does not limit refugees’ or asylum seekers’ access to documentation, the right to work, or access to education. However, there are restrictions on refugees in economic governance (UNHCR, 2025).
The humanitarian protection efforts made by Brazil are by implementing the Operação Acolhida, or Operation Welcome Program, which sets aid standards consisting of three pillars, namely reception & documentation, provision of shelter and humanitarian assistance, and relocation of internal volunteers and enacting the Interiorizacao policy by integrating the socio-economics of refugees and migrants in the same country. One example In September 2024, more than 140,000 Venezuelans had been relocated to around 1,000 municipalities across the country. Brazil then issued more than 13,100 visas, and as many as 12,000 Afghans entered Sao Paulo in August 2024. In addition, other countries such as Cuba have registered 20,000 in Brazil, half of whom live in Parana and Paraiba (UNHCR, 2024).
In the Middle East, besides Afghanistan, Brazil has also accepted Syrian refugees. Since 2011, Brazil has also provided thousands of humanitarian visas for the Syrian people. Based on data from the National Committee for Refugees (CONARE), a refugee protection agency, there are officially more than 4,000 Syrian refugees in Brazil, spread across major cities such as Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre, and Curitiba. The presence of refugees in these areas shows that Brazil is open to protecting human security (Godinho, 2024).
Although Brazil accepts the presence of refugees in various regions, it also has challenges in managing the flow of incoming refugees, especially in the Middle East, which is located far from South America. The internal challenge facing Brazil is the problem of extreme climatic conditions. At the end of April 2024, one region in Rio Grande do Sul in Southern Brazil faced heavy rainfall that lasted for several weeks. This flood was caused by the El Niño phenomenon due to drought in the north and high rainfall in the south. As a result, the flood destroyed the entire region, affecting 96 percent of local residents and 41,000 refugees. This event shows that Brazil is a region that is vulnerable to natural disasters and still very much in need of international assistance in overcoming the crisis in the region (Schlein, 2024).
Brazil, with its open-door policy, then saw the increasing number of refugees in the Middle East conflict as a threat to national security. The securitization approach was then played out to maintain Brazil’s national security. The securitization carried out was to impose strict visa requirements and to safeguard airlines to minimize the abuse of transit. Brazil, which had previously granted humanitarian visas to Syrian refugees, is now considered to be more restrictive due to the increase in global refugees. A policy of numerical restrictions on the number of refugees was then imposed. Since 2018, the government has set a quota of 100-200 people per day to reduce the influx of refugees.
Another factor that creates a Brazilian dilemma in accepting refugees from the Middle East is the problem of xenophobia, especially from the Middle East, Africa, and Venezuela. This social challenge creates a negative stigma among the community against refugee groups. For example, discrimination against jobs where refugees have difficulty obtaining decent work or adequate housing. Differences in language, culture, and customs are also issues for refugees in obtaining their rights. Acts of racism are often accepted by refugees; for example, discrimination against groups other than whites, such as those from Africa and the Middle East, is often considered to be at odds with Brazilian society. Populist and nationalist rhetoric then further exacerbated support and protection for refugees. As under the government of Jair Bolsonaro, playing on the anti-migrant issue that refugees are a threat to Brazil’s security and economy. Brazil’s crisis-ridden economy has also reinforced xenophobia as local residents see refugees as competitors for jobs, health care, and education.
Although Brazil signed a refugee agreement, this did not end the conflict over the acceptance of refugees. There are many factors that create challenges for Brazil in accepting refugees in the Middle East. Issues such as natural disasters, the dilemma of global conflict due to the increasing flow of refugees, securitization policies, and acts of xenophobia against refugees, whether physical, cultural, or linguistic differences, are challenges in the acceptance of refugees, especially in the Middle East, in this discussion. Strengthening national policies on refugees is essential through collaboration with the government, civil society, and international organizations to protect the existence of refugees. International organizations such as UNHCR must then provide full support to address displaced refugees. It is hoped that other international institutions will also play a role in supporting Brazil to protect refugees, such as the mandate given to ratify refugees.
