New Wave of Haitian Immigrants Puts Pressure on São Paulo Church

05/21/2015 - 07h51

Lack of planning has led to overcrowding at the Igreja Nossa Senhora da Paz, the São Paulo church which has become a point of entry to the city for recently arrived Haitian immigrants.

The number of Haitians sleeping in the lobby of the church, which is located in Glicério, in central São Paulo, has more than doubled since Sunday (17), increasing from 60 to 140 people.

The Casa do Migrante, a center located in the area with basic infrastructure for migrants, has already filled its 110 spaces.

Without warning the São Paulo city administration, the Acre state government sent another 968 immigrants to the city last week.

After complaints by mayor Fernando Haddad (PT), the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Justice, sealed an agreement with Acre state governor Tião Viana, in order to place the immigrants in cities throughout the country.

According to priest Paolo Parisi, the situation is "reaching the limit". On Tuesday (19), a Folha team caught one of the immigrants washing in a urinal in the church.

"As we've got no way of offering a shower to everyone at the same time, sometimes it happens," said Parisi. "The space wasn't designed for this purpose."

Translated by TOM GATEHOUSE

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