More times than I can remember, I have referenced Brazil as the cautionary example that immigration patriots are trying to avoid for America. Yet with the victory of Jair Bolsonaro in the recent presidential election, Brazil has now become the most fascinating place in the world from a political perspective. The multiracial, Third World country has a strong conservative tradition and, given the proper leadership, could reclaim the promise it once held in the 19th century.

However, one challenge is for Brazil to avoid being overwhelmed by the mass of failure migration from Venezuela. Brazil has been hit hard by migrants fleeing the socialist experiment and the border regions are crying for help. Yet Bolsonaro is already acting is if the migrants can't be sent back.

President-elect Jair Bolsonaro said Saturday (Nov 24) his government would not send back the tens of thousands of Venezuelans who have sought refuge in Brazil from the economic breakdown in their leftist-ruled homeland. The Venezuelan immigrants "are not merchandise or some product that can be returned," he said after attending a military anniversary ceremony. His comments followed a suggestion by the governor-elect of the state of Roraima that a "return program" be developed to deal with the influx of migrants that have poured into the poor border state from Venezuela. Bolsonaro said the Venezuelans "are fleeing a dictatorship supported by the PT, Lula and Dilma, and we can't leave them to their fate." [Brazil's Bolsonaro rules out sending back Venezuelan migrants, Channel Newsasia, November 25, 2018]

Some speculate that Bolsonaro wants regime change in Venezuela, though outright military intervention is unlikely [Decoding Bolsonaro's "make Brazil great" foreign policy, by Jen Kirby, Vox, October 31, 2018]. Perhaps that is his plan to get the migrants to return home. Still, if Bolsonaro is already giving up on protecting Brazil's borders, it's hard to see how can make meaningful progress on all the other issues facing the country.