Brazilian girl 15 detained by US Immigrations / Media incompetence

Even after eleven years in Brazil it never ceases to amaze me how biased and incompetent the Brazilian media really is. This case in particular is a perfect example of their inability to do investigative reporting with any credibility. As if that weren't problem enough this whole issue has been inflamed by the general attitude of Brazilians that everything about Brazil is perfect and everything about foreign countries is wrong. (If you don't believe that, then just try to criticize some aspect of Brazilian government to a Brazilian).

The media feeding frenzy surrounding the detention in November of fifteen year old São Paulo girl in Miami is making headlines all over Brazil and dominates internet news outlets as well. The reports leave more questions than they give answers. What information is out there proves that these journalists are either incompetent and simply don't know what questions they should ask or that they are deliberately fanning the flames of a "non-issue" to gain media space.

So let's give a bit of background information about this case for those who aren't familiar with what is happening.

In November a fifteen year old Brazilian girl from the Rio Pequeno district of São Paulo - SP, travelled alone to the USA and was supposedly going to be met at the Miami airport by her Great Aunt with whom she planned to stay for six months. According to the media quote of the mother's statement, "she had a passport and visa valid for six months." The girl was detained at the Miami airport by the United States Immigrations and Naturalization Service due to "questions about her migratory status". Since she is a minor she could not be put back on the first flight home as is done with adults. She was placed in a shelter and a Juvenile Court hearing is scheduled for January 31.

Reported facts and the questions they raise, but still go unanswered:

1. "she had a passport and visa valid for six months." Well, I for one would like to know what kind of visa she has that's valid for six months. Certainly not a tourist visa, because that is valid for 180 days just like here in Brazil. So, are they just mis-stating the facts or does she have one of the all too common counterfeit documents which can be purchased on almost any street corner in downtown São Paulo?

2.  According to media reports the so-called Great Aunt who was waiting at the Miami airport only found out that the girl had been detained because "um rapaz" (young man) who was on the same flight phoned her cellular phone and advised her. Given the fact that once the INS takes anyone into custody from that moment on they are not permitted to communicate with anyone else, just how did this young man get the phone number? Obviously there is a lot more to this whole story than meets the eye. It's clear that the girl was afraid that something would go wrong while passing through immigrations check and arranged for him to make the call. This was done well in advance because it would have been impossible to do at the moment she was taken into custody. What was she afraid of? Why wouldn't the girl have had the INS place a call to the Great Aunt and request her presence?

3. The mother (through the media) blames the Brazilian Consulate for delays in delivering documentary proof of the degree of relationship between the minor and Great Aunt to INS following the detention. Why would a reasonable thinking person not have arranged all those documents well in advance and have them with the minor for inspection with her travel documents?

4. The media focus is totally on the girl's mother, no mention whatsoever is made about a father, who he is, where he is, is he even alive. Fact is that for a minor to travel unaccompanied / accompanied by only one parent / accompanied by other individual a notarized copy of a standard form must be filled out by both mother and father, unless one of them is deceased. If the whereabouts of one of the parents is unknown then it is necessary to apply for a court order to permit travel. These must be presented along with all travel documents. What, if any of these documents did the girl present to INS?

5. The mother goes on a media rant about the bureaucracy in the US. Well, do they think there isn't any bureaucracy regarding immigrations here in Brazil? Bureaucracy wasn't invented here in Brazil, but they've turned it into a science. It's everywhere from government to arranging telephone or electric service - it suffocates everybody.

This whole incident smells pretty fishy to me. I'm sorry, but only a hermit living in a cave in interior of Minas Gerais isn't well aware of the international reputation Brazil has for international trafficking in women and children. This mother surely must have known that a young girl travelling alone would not only be at risk, but would also raise the eyebrows of immigrations officers anywhere on the planet. Why, when airlines provide escorts for minors for a very small fee did this woman not think this necessary? Certainly if everything was on the up and up (which I am beginning to doubt strongly) an airline escort would have probably been the signal that would have prevented this entire situation.

To the Brazilian media:  Stop trying to sling mud at the governments and governmental agencies of foreign countries when your own are so incompetent and corrupt. Look at how your government treats foreigners here in Brazil and maybe think about doing an in-depth investigative report about that sorry mess!

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil Animator, Expat-blog Team