Brazil | UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants highlights the work of the DPU

During a press conference held on Friday, 27 March 2026, at Casa ONU Brasil in Brasília (DF), the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, Gehad Madi, presented the results of his official visit to Brazil and highlighted the work of the Federal Public Defenders’ Office (DPU).

The expert was in Brazil from 16 to 27 March, with the mission to hear representatives of public institutions, civil society, the DPU and of migrants’ movements about the human rights situation of this people in Brazil.

Madi and his team visited Brasília (DF), Boa Vista (RR), Pacaraima (RR), São Paulo (SP) and Curitiba (PR), where they met with federal public defenders, including Regional Human Rights Defenders, as well as members and focal points of the DPU Working Group on Migration, Statelessness and Asylum (GTMAR).

In his preliminary report, the Special Rapporteur acknowledged the DPU’s work in defending and ensuring the human rights of migrants and refugees, such as the migrants denied entry at Guarulhos Airport, the separated and unaccompanied children and adolescents in Pacaraima, and migrants in detention.

During his stay, Madi made several recommendations to the federal government, one of which concerned the DPU. He noted that the institution requires additional financial and human resources to expand its efforts in order to support migrants’ and refugees’ access to rights and protection.

“I was particularly interested in learning about the DPU in several states across the country. I met many dedicated professionals and, when discussing specific cases, we had frank and honest conversations. I believe the Federal Public Defenders’ Office has a very important role to play in Brazil,” the Rapporteur stated.

The coordinator of GTMAR, Matheus Nascimento, highlighted that coordination among federal public defenders made it possible to present a broad overview of the human rights situation of migrants, including difficulties in obtaining family reunification visas and the tightening of humanitarian reception policies for Haitians, Afghans, Syrians, and Ukrainians. According to him, many of the observations made by Gehad Madi align with the DPU’s own perspective on the issue.

Source: Federal Public Defenders’ Office (DPU), Brazil