Exploring the Brazilian Exodus to the United States

 Brazil has historically been a country whose citizens have rarely emigrated; however, it did not experience a consistent and substantial emigration until the 1980s. Almost all Brazilian immigrants in the United States have cited similar economic reasons for leaving their home in pursuit of prosperity elsewhere. The term "economic refugees" has been coined to refer to immigrants who have immigrated to the United States in pursuit of higher wages, a lower cost of living, and a desire to escape the hyperinflations that devastated Brazil until 1994. Nevertheless, middle and lower-class Brazilians have endured an average loss of one-third of their purchasing power in their salaries since 1994, when inflation ceased and prices stabilized.. Numerous Brazilians arrive in the United States with the knowledge that they can earn up to four times as much as they do in Brazil while performing identical tasks. Perhaps the most significant factor in influencing Brazilian immigration to the country is the opportunity to accumulate substantial savings. Additionally, despite the fact that a greater number of Brazilians are enrolling in universities, the professional labor market has not experienced the same level of expansion as the increase in higher education. Many Brazilian immigrants have immigrated to the United States in part to experience the first-world modernity that has been popularized and glamorized in Brazilian pop-culture, in addition to being "economic refugees."

The most significant period of Brazilian immigration to the United States occurred between 1985 and 1987, primarily as a result of a period of acute hyperinflation in Brazil

Nevertheless, the census conducted in 1980 revealed that 44,000 Brazilians of Brazilian descent were residing in the United States. Immigration has persisted throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s. Numerous Brazilians enter the country on tourist visas and remain after their visas expire, resulting in their undocumented status. The popularity of illegally entering through the Mexico border has increased due to the difficulties associated with obtaining a tourist visa. The U.S. government also implemented more stringent immigration controls after 2001, which have made it more difficult to work without legal documentation. In response to a global economic crisis that has resulted in fewer employment and economic opportunities for Brazilian immigrants and Americans alike, enchantment with the United States has also diminished since 2008. Most Brazilians arrive in the United States with the intention of working diligently for three to five years in order to accumulate substantial savings that can be used to purchase a business or property. Consequently, they work diligently with the intention of returning to their country with capital to invest in Brazil. Nevertheless, social scientists who are investigating migration patterns have observed that a significant number of Brazilians frequently travel between the two countries. This phenomenon is referred to as "yo-yo migration." It delineates the fact that Brazilians encounter challenges in severing their connections with Brazil, despite the fact that they discover economic opportunities in the United States. A 1999 study discovered that only one-third of Brazilians residing in New York City intended to remain in the United States, a fifth were uncertain about their futures, and the remaining two-thirds intended to return home. As previously mentioned, the economic downturn in the United States and recent immigration restrictions have reversed these trends, resulting in a greater number of Brazilians returning to their homeland.

A persistent economic crisis in Brazil

Which has been further exacerbated by civil and political unrest, has been a significant factor in the emigration of individuals, including to the United States. Despite the fact that the number of Brazilian immigrants in the United States has been increasing for the past four decades, the magnitude and geography of these migrations have rendered the past decade distinctive. Brazil experienced an economic recession that was characterized by elevated unemployment rates that commenced in 2012. Simultaneously, the nation experienced an increase in crime, highly publicized corruption scandals, and an increase in political instability. The United States has become an increasingly appealing destination due to the increasing food insecurity among Brazilians, the steep appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the Brazilian real, and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Between 2010 and 2019, the Brazilian immigrant population in the United States increased by nearly 50%, from 340,000 to 502,000. Brazilians have been increasingly attempting to access the United States through its border with Mexico. In fiscal year (FY) 2016, U.S. Customs and frontier Protection (CBP) recorded approximately 3,100 apprehensions of Brazilians along the southern frontier. However, the number of encounters reached a record high of nearly 57,000 in FY 2021. The number of Brazilians apprehended by Mexican immigration authorities increased from approximately 300 in 2016 to nearly 17,000 in 2021. The Mexican government instituted a requirement in December 2021 for Brazilians to obtain tourist visas in order to enter Mexico, in response to the increasing number of Brazilians and pressure from the U.S. government. After the visa requirement was implemented, the number of CBP encounters with Brazilians at the southern frontier experienced a significant decline, plummeting from approximately 7,900 in December 2021 to 1,300 in March 2022. Nevertheless, the figures are once again on the rise, having reached 4,800 in May, and are expected to continue to rise, at least in the short term.

As of 2019, Brazilians comprise just over 1% of the 44.9 million immigrants in the United States

Which is consistent with the immigration trend that commenced in 1980, when 41,000 Brazilian immigrants resided in the country. The figure had doubled by 1990 and reached 212,000 at the turn of the century. It then more than doubled again over the next two decades.

The Brazilian immigrant population in the United States is currently the largest in the globe. Brazil is also represented in Portugal (154,000), Italy, and Spain (approximately 133,000 each), as well as in Japan (205,000), according to mid-2020 estimates from the United Nations Population Division. The greatest number of Brazilian migrants in South America was hosted by Brazil's neighbors, Paraguay (80,000) and Argentina (49,000). The majority of Brazilian immigrants in the United States are not U.S. citizens, and those who established permanent resident status (also referred to as a green card) in FY 2020 primarily depended on employer or family sponsorship. Brazilian immigrants have higher levels of educational attainment and household incomes than both the foreign- and U.S.-born populations. Nevertheless, they are more likely to experience destitution and lack health insurance than the U.S.-born population. Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau (the 2019 American Community Survey [ACS] as well as pooled 2015-19 ACS data), the Department of Homeland Security's 2020 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics, and World Bank annual remittance data, this Spotlight concentrates on the size, geographic distribution, and socioeconomic characteristics of the Brazilian immigrant population in the United States.