Migration and Global Health: Unveiling the ambiguities of the Operation Welcome (Operação Acolhida) in Brazil

By Beatriz de Mello

The connection between migration and health is complex. The conditions surrounding the entire journey of migrants – the pre-migration, movement, arrival, integration and return phases – can considerably impact their health, increasing risks and exacerbating vulnerabilities. These conditions cover various factors – the so-called social determinants of health. Living and working conditions, individual and lifestyle factors, as well as economic, social and political conditions, all influence the well-being of migrants (1).

Given this scenario, migration has been increasingly recognized as a global health priority (2) and a challenge that requires multisectoral and multistakeholder responses and the engagement of state and non-state actors, not limited to the health sector (3).

However, when we think about cooperation in the fields of health and migration, there are different approaches towards it. On one hand, the human rights approach defends guaranteeing the right to health for all people worldwide, regardless of their migration status. On another hand, there is an approach that prioritizes the health of the host country’s population and considers migrants as potential threats who need to be excluded or controlled (4).

Within this context, this article aims to reflect on the interests and purposes of the Operation Welcome (Operação Acolhida), the Brazilian response to Venezuelan migration.

As it is well known, Venezuelan migration across the world has increased since 2014, mainly because of the deepening social, political and economical crisis in the country. According to data from June 2023, there are more than seven million refugees and migrants from Venezuela across the world, with over six million living in countries of Latin American and the Caribbean. Currently, Brazil is ranked as the fourth primary destination for Venezuelan migrants in the region (5).

To face this scenario, the Brazilian Government established the Operation Welcome in 2018, which is described as a task force that aims to provide emergency assistance to Venezuelan migrants in the state of Roraima through an articulation of efforts between the Federal, State and Municipal Governments, UN agencies, civil society organizations, international organizations and private entities, among other partners (6).

The Operation encompasses three main lines of activity (7):

a) Border management, with activities aimed to the reception, identification, migratory regularization, immunization and health checks of migrants and refugees;

b) Hosting, with the establishment of shelters to indigenous and non-indigenous migrants, providing meals, facilities for hygiene, orientation, education, and basic health care;

c) Relocation, aiming to relocate migrants from the state of Roraima to other states in Brazil, in order to facilitate social and economic integration.

Given its scope and structure, it is possible to state that the Operation Welcome aims to address social determinants of migrants’ health, including migratory status, basic healthcare, living conditions, education, social and economic factors, among others. Therefore, the Operation Welcome contributes, at least in theory, to global health governance.

However, when we take a deeper look into the Operation Welcome, certain elements make us question whether the real objective of the Operation is to ensure the human rights to migrants and refugees. The aspects I would like to draw attention to in this article are the attribution of the operational coordination to generals of the Brazilian Army and the participation of a large contingent of the Armed Forces in the work of the Operation Welcome. The “Humanitarian Logistics Task Force, known as FT Log Hum, is constituted of military personnel from the Navy, Army and Air Force, and is tasked with the operational leadership of the Operation Welcome, providing logistical support for all activities, from border operations to shelter and relocation (8). These circumstances demonstrate the militarization of the proposal.

This militarization is justified by the existent expertise of the Armed Forces in humanitarian operations (9). But the presence of military forces in an operation intended to welcome migrants is contradictory, to say the least. It not only reinforces a vision of migrants as potential threats who need to be contained, but also suggests an attempt at control by imposing rules within national borders (10). In the shelters managed by the military, for example, at the same time they organize them and distribute food and donations to Venezuelan migrants, they follow surveillance and order protocols, promoting patrols, guarding the shelters, controlling mobility and imposing rules of conduct (11).

Thus, the “humanitarian-aid discourse” of the Operation Welcome can mask particular interests of maintaining sovereignty, order and national security at the borders, in opposition to a human-rights approach. These circumstances can negatively influence migrants’ health and well-being.

In conclusion, it is fundamental to advance critical reflections and research on the intersection between migration and health and on interventions like the Operation Welcome, and to advocate for changes. Embracing a human rights-approach, rather than one driven by security concerns, is crucial to ensure equitable global health outcomes.

This article is based on the findings of Beatriz’s master thesis in Law, titled “Perspectivas da diplomacia da saúde global como instrumento de garantia de direitos humanos no contexto da resposta brasileira à migração venezuelana“, available at https://acervodigital.ufpr.br/bitstream/handle/1884/81550/R%20-%20D%20-%20BEATRIZ%20DE%20MELLO.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y.

References

1. Migration Data Portal: The Bigger Picture. Migration and health. https://migrationdataportal.org/themes/migration-and-health [Accessed 19th June 2023].

2. Wicramage K, et al. Migration and health: a global public health research priority. BMC Public Health. 2018; 18 (987): 1-9.

3. Korinka M, Tiliouine A. Multi- and intersectoral action for the health and well-being of refugees and migrants: health diplomacy as a tool of governance. In: World Health Organization. Health Diplomacy: spotlight on refugees and migrants. Copenhagen: Regional Office for Europe; 2019. p. 16-37.

4. Ventura D. Mobilidade humana e saúde global. Revista USP. 2015 (107): 55-64.

5. R4V. Refugiados y Migrantes de Venezuela. https://www.r4v.info/es/refugiadosymigrantes. [Accessed 19th June 2023].

6. Acolhida. Base legal. https://www.gov.br/casacivil/pt-br/acolhida/base-legal-1. [Accessed 19th June 2023].

7. Federal Subcommittee For Relocation. Voluntary Relocation of Refugees and Migrants. Brasília: IOM; 2021.

8. Federal Subcommittee For Relocation. Voluntary Relocation of Refugees and Migrants. Brasília: IOM; 2021.

9. Andriolo MS. Da constituição dos Regimes de Refúgio à gestão migratória militarizada da Operação Acolhida [thesis]. Rio de Janeiro: Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro; 2021.

10. Vasconcelos IS. Desejáveis” e “indesejáveis”: diferencialidades e paradoxos no acolhimento de venezuelanos/as em Roraima e no Amazonas [dissertation]. São Carlos: Universidade Federal de São Carlos; 2021.

11. Vasconcelos, IS., Machado, IJR. Uma missão eminentemente humanitária? Operação Acolhida e a gestão militarizada nos abrigos para migrantes venezuelanos/as em Boa Vista – RR. REMHU, 2021, 29 (63): 107-122.