In a significant but partial victory, a pregnant Egyptian woman and her two children have been granted permission to enter Brazil. The family had been held in the restricted zone of São Paulo International Airport in Guarulhos for almost a month after requesting asylum upon their arrival on April 8, citing escalating conflicts and instability in the Middle East.
The authorization for the mother and children to leave the airport was confirmed on Wednesday by their lawyer, Willian Fernandes. He described the decision as an "important advance" but stressed that the fight is not over. The father of the children, Abdallah Montaser, is still prohibited from entering Brazilian territory. The legal team is now focused on achieving full family reunification.
"It is an advance, but still incomplete. There is no just solution without family reunification. We will continue to act to ensure the father can also enter Brazil and fully exercise his right to live with his family," Fernandes stated. The family will be received by migrant support organizations that have been involved with the case from the beginning.
The case drew widespread attention after human rights organizations, migrant support movements, and the Human Rights Commission of Brazil's Chamber of Deputies highlighted the situation. They characterized the prolonged detention as a potential human rights violation. Reports indicated the woman was in her 34th week of pregnancy and required medical attention after reporting a lack of fetal movement. One of the children also has celiac disease and lactose intolerance.
The lawyer acknowledged the recent sensitivity shown by the Federal Police regarding the pregnant woman and children's condition. However, the Center for Human Rights and Citizenship of the Immigrant (CDHIC) issued a public statement demanding changes to the migration procedures at the Guarulhos airport. The CDHIC asserted that this Egyptian family's case is not isolated, noting at least four similar prolonged detentions in the restricted area over the past six months, all involving people seeking humanitarian protection or asylum.
The CDHIC's statement also referenced the 2024 death of Evans Osei Wusu from Ghana, who died while awaiting a decision on his entry in the airport's restricted area. The organization argued that such cases expose the limits of practices that prioritize security logic over the protection of human dignity. They criticized the lack of individualized case analysis and inadequate access to information and legal defense.
The family's detention was reportedly based on administrative rules linked to a 2019 ordinance used in migration procedures. The defense argued these rules were applied generically without proper individualization. This incident follows a similar case from two weeks prior, where a Palestinian family barred at the same airport was authorized to enter by a Federal Court, reinforcing arguments that administrative measures need to be reviewed for humanitarian cases.
Based on reporting from g1.