When temporary becomes permanent: Brazilian “Operação Acolhida” as a Migration Policy/Quando o provisório se torna permanente: a Operação Acolhida como Política Migratória no Brasil

Brazil is the fifth-largest recipient country of the influx of Venezuelans in the region, and the second-largest country with the most Venezuelan refugees. As this situation has gained momentum, municipal and state governments have been unprepared to respond to the basic needs arising from this increasing flow. To address the influx of Venezuelan refugees, in 2018 the Brazilian state launched Operation Acolhida, a humanitarian and military task force to control, receive, and integrate migrants entering Roraima state through the northern border. Based on the premise that a public policy isn’t a governmental action carried out in response to a specific demand, but rather intentional actions that use tools and resources to offer "durable solutions" and achieve public benefits, this article analyzed Operation Acolhida as a public policy with a migration character from the perspective of the political cycle. Among the conclusions, one can cite the fragility of the system and the policies of reception and assistance to immigrants at the municipal levels, especially in relation to budget and funding. Also, the Brazilian government's intention to solve the Venezuelan migratory flux provisionally, without the need to bring to public debate what is regulated by article 120 of the Migration Law: the creation of a "National Policy on Migration, Refugee and Statelessness".