SÃO PAULO – Brazil has approved a record number of refugee applications, including for 532 Syrian nationals, the country’s National Committee for Refugees announced on Wednesday.
Some 680 applications for refugee status were approved on Wednesday alone, more than all applications given the green light in 2013, the committee, which is linked to the Brazilian National Justice Secretariat, said.
The raft of new approvals – the first since a new resolution simplified procedures set out by the country – means the Brazilian refugee population grew to 6,588, an increase of around 10 percent.
Ben Tavener 