Brazil: Facing its own "Illegal Immigration" debate

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-22106284

As the immigration debate heats up in the United States, there is conflict arising around the same issues in Brazil. The Brazilian state of Acre has seen a huge influx of illegal immigrants from Paraguay, Haiti, Senegal, Pakistan, from almost every corner of the globe. However, in the last two weeks there has been a flow of up to almost 2,000 people entering the state illegally. Normally these folks are headed towards bigger urban cities like Rio De Janeiro or Sao Paulo but much like undocumented immigrants in the United States, get caught up doing anything for a living. This influx has cost the State an estimated $1.5 million dollars on housing and feeding these new immigrants.

This influx is not economically focused like the wave of immigration in the United States, these influxes are related to natural disaster. Natural disasters can cause folk migrations much like an economic force, however unlike an economic force, these disasters may not reoccur. This huge migration may not happen again or it could begin to reoccur as Brazil becomes an important player on the international stage. 

However, much like the United States these "illegal immigrants" are working within the economy, for less than the average citizen. The article references a raid that occurred recently in Sao Paulo and Brasila, looking for undocumented workers in sweatshops. The raid found that these undocumented workers are working in horrible conditions, for almost no pay. This form of exploitation can be associated with the migrant agriculturalists who travel seasonally to and from the United States.

Seeing this article helped me realize that these problems are not just an American issue, but possibly a negative side effect created by living within the bounds of a state system.