With Trump Elected, Brazilians in Florida Fear Clamp Down on Immigration

11/10/2016 - 13h33

The businessman from the State of Paraíba came to Florida with his wife and two children in January to become a partner in a distributor of pão de queijo (cheese bread) and other Brazilian products.

He entered into the application process for a business visa but now fears that Donald Trump will propose changes to the law that will make his life difficult.

"It would be difficult for Trump to make retroactive changes to visa requests [already in process], but even so I'm still concerned," said Souza, who is also registered as a driver in the app for Lyft, a Uber competitor.

"He's talked so much about expelling immigrants, about how foreigners steal jobs from Americans, that I thought 'do you suppose I've made a mistake by coming here and investing in a business? Do you suppose this guy will end up deporting me?'", he said, halfway joking.

Residents with undocumented situations and Brazilians who have temporary visas are apprehensive.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, approximately 300 thousand Brazilians live in Florida, but the real number is probably higher, since Brazilians without visas avoid contact with the embassy due to their fear of being turned over to the American authorities.

During the campaign Trump has promised to deport 11 million people who are working in the United States illegally, and spoke repeatedly of constructing a wall along the border with Mexico to prevent "rapists" and "drug traffickers" from getting into the country.

He also said that he would implement policies that would ban the entrance of Muslims into the United States as a way to combat terrorism.

Maria Helena Oliveira has lived in Miami for 25 years without a visa and works caring for the elderly as a daily worker. She was married to a Puerto Rican but was unable to get the green card that she dreamed of, which prevents her from getting back into the United States if she ever leaves to visit her family in Brazil.

"I'm devastated. If he really manages to do what he has been promising to, then many people will suffer. The life for illegals already is very difficult, imagine how it will be with Trump working to deport everyone?".

Translated by LLOYD HARDER

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