RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Brazilian Government announced Tuesday that 1,000 Venezuelan immigrants currently living in northernmost Roraima State will be moved to other states in the south.
The relocation is expected in late August and early September, Viviane Esse, government representative, said.
Over the weekend, Venezuelan immigrants sheltering in Pacaraima, a town in Roraima that is the main entry point for tens of thousands of Venezuelans, came under attack.
The attacks were allegedly in retaliation for a Brazilian man getting robbed and attacked by three Venezuelan immigrants.
The violence led the Brazilian Government to rush additional National Security Force members to Roraima.
The government also promised to relocate the immigrants since Roraima, Brazil's least populated state, lacks resources to accommodate the extra population.
Around 800 immigrants have been moved to other states so far. In addition, the government announced it would immediately start constructing a new shelter in Pacaraima, as well as increase the capacity of the existing shelters.
Brazil's Public Security Minister Raul Jungmann said on Aug. 8 that Brazil is a country of immigrants and cannot turn its back on Venezuelan immigrants, who are having a rough time at home.
