Representatives of the Brazilian and the Paraguayan governments intensified negotiations to put an end to existing impasses at their border. The Brazilian Embassy in Asuncion presented a proposal to solve issues such as workers’ regularization.
Five thousand Brazilians cross the Paraguay’s border daily to work in one of the six thousand stores in Ciudad Del Este. The Paraguayan Ministry of Interior wants to register all Brazilian workers, whether in regular situation or not, and give them a deadline to become legal.
“It is not allowed to live in Brazil and work in Paraguay, but those who live in Paraguay may stay without problems,” said Brazil’s Vice-Consul in Ciudad Del Este, José Lima, who is participating in the negotiations.
Another subject being discussed is the purchasing quota for tax-exempted products. There were conflicts at the border yesterday morning, when 16 buses transporting illegal products were held by Brazilian customs.
Since the end of last year, Brazil intensified border control searching for illegal products.
“Sacoleiros,” people who buy products in Ciudad del Este and smuggle them into Brazil through the Ponte da Amizade (Friendship Bridge), are also the focus of the searches.
The sacoleiros, along with the Paraguayan government and business people defend a higher purchasing quota, from the current US$ 150 to US$ 500, as a way to avoid people smuggling products into Brazil.
According to data issued by Brazilian Federal Revenue and Customs Secretariat, approximately US$ 1,8 billion (5 billion reais) of products illegally enter the country every year, an activity that involves 120 thousand Brazilians.
At the Paraguayan side of the border, control has also become stricter in the last two weeks. Armed officers have accompanied the activities of Paraguay’s Immigration Service.
The government does not intend, however, to impede the entry of tourists or people who want to shop in the country.
According to Ciudad Del Este’s Mayor, Javier Zacarias, the government of Paraguay does not want its image associated with piracy, falsification, and smuggling, that is why it has reinforced border control, which will also focus on drug trafficking.
Translation: Andréa Alves
Juliana Cézar Nunes