Brazil's Defense Minister has said the country is making contingency plans for a possible influx of Venezuelan migrants. Tens of thousands of refugees are believed to be living already in the border state of Roraima.
"Evidently we are worried and our biggest concern is the humanitarian situation," Jungmann told reporters. "We need to have a contingency plan in place to handle this if things get worse."
Some 6,000 Venezuelans cross the border into Brazil every day looking to purchase food and medicine, and while most return, an increasing number have opted to stay and look for work.
Last month, Brazilians reported seeing Venezuelan women and children begging on the streets of Manaus, Brazil's largest city in the Amazon region (pictured below).
The government for the border state of Roraima has indicated that some 30,000 refugees had arrived since Venezuela economic and political became particularly acute last year. Federal police, meanwhile, estimate that the number of Venezuelan migrants living in Roraima's capital Boa Vista to be over 15,000.
Roraima state Senator Telmario Mota told Reuters that many of the migrants seeking employment in Boa Vista were being exploited, while young women were being forced into prostitution.
Migrants from Venezuela have been living out of tents pitched in public squaresImage: Getty Images/V. Moriyama
Meanwhile, a visit by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees to Boa Vista reported that 6,000 Venezuelans were being housed in shelters, while a further 5,000 were on a waiting list.
A UNHCR spokesman said: "We are here to familiarize ourselves with the situation, see the local response capability and help prepare to receive an influx of people if that were needed."
Jungmann has also vowed to help mediate the crisis in Venezuela. In a "gesture of goodwill," Brazil would be sending back its ambassador to Venezuela, he said, after having decided to withdraw its envoy amid a political row.
Venezuela paralyzed by protests
Political unrest in Venezuela erupted on April 1 as government opposition groups responded angrily to a Supreme Court decision to strip the legislative branch of its power. Detractors of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro say the decision was a blatant power grab by the president and his allies.
Venezuela on the brink
Venezuela is facing collapse amid multiple crises. DW takes a look at what has brought the oil-rich nation to its knees.
In March 2017, violent protests erupted across the country in response to a Supreme Court decision to strip the legislative branch of its powers. Amid an international outcry, President Nicolas Maduro reversed the decision, but it was too late. Thousands continued to take to the streets, calling for new elections. More than 100 people were killed in clashes with security forces.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Barreto
Hunger, a growing problem
The violence added to the ongoing economic and political crisis in Venezuela. Many Venezuelans spend more than 30 hours a week waiting in lines to shop, and are often confronted with empty shelves when they finally enter a store. President Maduro blames the crisis on US price speculation. The opposition, however, accuses the Socialist government of economic mismanagement.
Image: picture-alliance/AA/C. Becerra
Health care in crisis
The crisis has even affected health care in the oil-rich nation. Venezuelans often head to Colombia to collect medical supplies to send home, as seen in this picture. Hospitals across Venezuela have compared conditions to those seen only in war zones. As patient deaths rise, health officials have sounded the alarm on the rise of malaria and dengue fever.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/M.Duenas Castaneda
Power grab
By July 2017, Venezuela's pro-government Constituent Assembly was established. For observers, it had all the hallmarks of a power grab. The new body adopted the authority to pass legislation on a range of issues, effectively taking away the powers of Venezuela's elected congress, which was under the opposition's control. The move drew wide international condemnation.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/P. Miraflores
The West sanctions
In response to the political crisis, the United States and European Union imposed a series of sanctions against ruling officials. The US blacklisted members of the Constituent Assembly and froze all of Maduro's assets that are subject to US jurisdiction. The EU banned arms sales to the country.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/AFP/T. Schwarz
Government victorious in regional elections
In October 2017, Venezuela held two votes: regional elections and elections for governors, which were long overdue. The opposition boycotted the vote, but then split, as some candidates and small parties chose to participate. This caused a deep rift within Maduro's opponents. The government went on to sweep the vote, which detractors say was unfair and heavily favored the regime.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/A. Cubillos
Debt default
In November 2017, the oil-rich, cash-poor nation faced its day of reckoning. Credit ratings agencies declared Venezuela and its state-run oil company in "selective default." But Russia offered to restructure the South American country's debt to ensure Caracas pays its other creditors. US and EU sanctions, however, limited the chance of an agreement.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/A. Cubillos
Presidential elections scheduled
The National Assembly announced in January 2018 that it would grant Maduro's call for snap presidential elections. The electoral authority, CNE, held the elections on May 20. The EU, the US and 14 Latin American nations warned that they would not recognize the results. The mainstream MUD opposition alliance boycotted the vote, leaving only one possible outcome.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/F. Parra
Maduro wins ...
Maduro was re-elected to a second six-year term with about 68 percent of the vote. Turnout was only 46 percent, according to electoral authorities. However, the MUD opposition alliance put turnout at less than 30 percent. The Organization of American States (OAS) called the elections neither free nor fair.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/A. Cubillos
... Guaido assumes power
But weeks into the new year, the situation took a drastic turn. On January 23, 2019, parliament president Juan Guaido declared himself interim president of Venezuela — a move that was quickly recognized by US President Donald Trump. Maduro called it a US-backed "coup." Days later, the US sanctioned Venezuela's state oil firm, while Guaido staked his claim on the country's foreign assets.
Image: Imago/Agencia EFE
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Maduro later reversed the decision amid increasing unrest, but protests have continued with demands for fresh elections in part due to complaints about Venezuela's desperate economic situation.
While the protests have served as a vehicle for voicing government disapproval, they have repeatedly escalated into violence and looting, with security forces firing tear gas, water cannons or rubber bullets into the crowds in response.
Alongside the reported 43 deaths, most of whom were young men shot at protests or killed during looting, hundreds more have also been injured.
Comparison made with Syria
During a special UN Security Council meeting Wednesday on the crisis in Venezuela, US Ambassador Nikki Haley warned that "we've been down this road - with Syria, with North Korea, with South Sudan, with Burundi, with Burma."
Venezuela, Haley said, was "on the verge of humanitarian crisis," adding that Maduro had to respect the human rights of his people if he wanted to avoid the crisis from escalating into a civil conflict.
Venezuela, along with allies Bolivia and Uruguay, dismissed the Security Council meeting as "outside interference," although Haley maintained that the US was not looking to the council to sanction any form of intervention.
"What we are looking for is for the Security Council to notice exactly what the situation is ... be cautious in this area and know that we need to be watching it," she said.
My picture of the week | Music against violence in Caracas
