Brazilian immigration policy faced some deep changes in the last few years due to the development of a new legal system regarding this matter. The previous migration law date back from the 1980s, during a totalitarian civil-military regime and, despite the rebirth of democracy in 1988, this law remained in place for almost four decades. Because of that historical moment, the past immigration policy was focused on national public security and economic development. In contrast, the current law established human rights as one of the principles and guidelines of the Brazilian migration policy. Therefore, this book debates the extent to which a shift in the immigration law in Brazil has happened, moving away from the perspective of immigrants as threats towards seeing them as subjects of rights.
