Overview
- Mayor Topázio Neto announced intensified screening at the city bus station to identify arrivals without housing or employment and said more than 500 people have already been sent back with tickets.
- After criticism, the mayor posted clarifications framing the effort as social assistance and reintegration rather than migratory control, with plans to reinforce the action for the summer season.
- The municipal Social Assistance Secretariat says the post has operated for about two years, serves only those who seek help, and coordinates returns with families or officials in places of origin.
- The Public Defender’s Office of Santa Catarina opened procedures to examine the initiative, and the State Public Prosecutor’s Office said it will monitor developments.
- Legal experts question the policy’s basis under Brazil’s constitutional guarantee of free movement, while Governor Jorginho Mello publicly endorsed the mayor and offered state security support.