Brazilian police rescue 108 Cuban migrants at the northern border and arrest 5 alleged smugglers
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Digital Subscription
One year of digital access for only $1.44 a week*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Billed as $5.77 plus GST every four weeks. After 52 weeks, price increases to the regular rate of $19.95 plus GST every four weeks. Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
- Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
- Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
- Access News Break, our award-winning app
- Play interactive puzzles
*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
SAO PAULO (AP) — More than 100 Cuban migrants attempting to enter Brazil on its northern border with Guyana were rescued from human smugglers, Brazilian police said.
The 108 migrants were in custody in Roraima state while authorities regularize their immigration status before referring them to social services workers, police said Tuesday.
Police also said they arrested five people on migrant smuggling charges. Known as “coyotes,” the smugglers charged abusive fees while promising a safe crossing to Brazil, police said.
“In reality, the route imposed by them ignores any standard of human dignity or road safety. Foreigners are subjected to exhausting journeys in vehicles that are not properly maintained,” police added.
The operation, carried out Monday, was the largest humanitarian rescue recorded in the state. Authorities said they have rescued 297 Cuban migrants attempting to enter Brazil illegally through Roraima since June 2024.
As Cuba’s economy collapses during a deepening economic crisis and escalating U.S. sanctions, a growing number of its citizens are migrating to Brazil. Cuban migration to Brazil has surged since 2022, according to official data.
In 2025, Cubans surpassed Venezuelans as the leading nationality seeking refugee status in Brazil, with more than 40,000 applications, the Ministry of Justice said in its annual migration report published in May.
“If geopolitical tensions between Cuba and the United States worsen, migration flows toward Brazil could increase,” the ministry said. It added that regularization through refugee status recognition could be an alternative.
According to officials, more affluent migrants tend to fly to Sao Paulo, the country’s largest city. Those in more fragile economic situations often travel overland, entering through the northern Amazon states of Amapa and Roraima, which together account for nearly 60% of migrants’ places of residence.