Brazil sends thousands of Venezuelan migrants to country’s rich southern states

By REGINA GARCIA CANO
Associated Press

PACARAIMA, Brazil (AP) — More than 7.2 million people have left Venezuela since the country’s political, economic and social crisis began last decade. Most have gone to Spanish-speaking countries of South America — with 2.4 million in Colombia alone — and many to the U.S. and Spain. Further down the list of destinations has been Venezuela’s Portuguese-speaking, next-door neighbor: Brazil. But Brazil has become a popular choice for many Venezuelans partly because of a five-year-old program that offers eligible applicants work permits and even free flights to faraway parts of the huge country. Approvals into the program have surged in the post-pandemic period.