Brazil to deploy armed forces to tackle immigration crisis

Rio de Janeiro: Brazilian President Michel Temer has announced deployment of armed forces in the border state of Roraima to restore order disrupted by an immigration crisis.

The announcement came on Tuesday after thousands of Venezuelan immigrants entered Brazil through Roraima in 2017.

The significant rise in their population caused tensions in the state where xenophobic groups had attacked hundreds of immigrants earlier in August, Xinhua news agency reported.

Citizens and authorities have complained that the federal government has ignored the situation in Roraima without providing necessary aid while the government said it has been working to move the immigrants to other states in order to reduce the burden on Roraima.

According to the Brazilian government, between 2015 and June 2017, about 56,700 Venezuelan immigrants sought refuge or permanent residence in Brazil, but the number of Venezuelans who entered the country in this period is believed to be much higher.