The death of a migrant detained in a restricted area of Guarulhos International Airport, in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, has raised concerns about possible human rights violations. The location is once again the scene of a crisis due to the lack of infrastructure to accommodate the migratory flow in the country.
The migrant, from Ghana, died on the 13th — the cause was not disclosed. According to the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, before being taken to the hospital on the 11th, he was in the airport area reserved for "inadmissible travelers," who do not have the documents or visas to enter Brazil, and had received care at a medical station at the location due to health issues that were also not specified.
Contacted, the concessionaire GRU Airport, which manages the airport, said the matter is the responsibility of the Federal Police. Two days after the death, the Federal Public Defender's Office (DPU) visited the site to make assessments and found "repeated situations of human rights violations." "Children and adolescents were found sleeping on the floor and there was a growing demand for health care, with many people showing flu symptoms," the DPU said in a document delivered to Conare (National Committee for Refugees), the Federal Police, Anac (National Civil Aviation Agency), the government of São Paulo, and the City Hall of Guarulhos. According to the agency, support for migrants is limited.