Today, over 100 million people are forcibly displaced. In the last six years, the number of asylum seekers has doubled, totaling 8.4 million by the end of 2025. Of these, Venezuelans make up the biggest number of asylum seekers, totaling 6.5 million. Brazil has emerged in the region as a key leader in refugee resettlement, welcoming many under its 1997 Refugee Law and federal program, Operação Acolhida. Yet, even with these legal protections in place, many Venezuelan refugees continue to face barriers in employment, language services and healthcare, revealing that much work still remains.
Read MoreOn Thursday, September 11, 2025, Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years in prison for attempting to orchestrate a coup and overturn the 2022 presidential election. The conviction has sparked a multitude of reactions within the deeply polarized state, and instigated responses from the United States and the Trump administration. The sentence marks an important milestone in Brazil’s history of pardoning political insurrection, and many regard it as a victory for Brazilian democracy.
Read MoreFormer Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was charged with leading a military insurrection by Brazil’s Supreme Court, adopting recommendations made in a federal police report from November. The plot included declaring a state of siege as well as a plan to assassinate President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as well as Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes.
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