According to data from the Itamaraty in 2017, approximately 1 million Brazilians reside in the United States. Of these, about 250,000 are from Minas Gerais, making the state responsible for no less than 25% of the immigrants leaving Brazil to start a new life in America.
There are several factors that help explain this historic preference of the people from Minas for the lands of Uncle Sam, most of which date back to the 1940s and 1950s when hundreds of Americans came to Brazil to work on the construction of railways and highways in Minas Gerais. Many of them started families and contributed to the development of Vale do Rio Doce and also to the arrival of the first English courses in Minas.
It was this “colony” of Americans that also brought to the region products that were not yet marketed in Brazil, such as washing machines and toasters, for example. Thus began the fascination of the people from Minas and the dream of one day visiting or, who knows, even living in America.
A few decades later, in the 1980s, the inflation and severe economic crisis that Brazil was experiencing encouraged an “exodus” of Brazilians from Minas Gerais who entered the USA illegally, a country that was going through a period of extreme financial prosperity. It was during this time that the state, especially the city of Governador Valadares, gained a reputation for being an exporter of illegal immigrants, something that in recent years has proven to no longer be true, mainly due to the large number of qualified miners who currently reside and work legally in America.
“In fact, there has been a significant change in the profile of the miner immigrant. Especially in the last two decades, we have seen a growing number of highly qualified people from Minas Gerais with successful careers and academic backgrounds, who have been contributing considerably to the job market and the economy of the United States,” said Rodrigo Costa, a businessman from Minas and investment specialist who has lived in America for 7 years.
This change in the profile of the miner immigrant was mainly made possible by the absence of professionals in various vital areas in the USA. Both in quantity and quality, the United States suffers from a lack of doctors, dentists, engineers, IT professionals, physiotherapists, nurses, and a large number of other professions that require technical knowledge. Traditionally, Brazil (especially Minas Gerais) is considered a breeding ground for talent and an international reference for many of these professions.
Despite this, there are still many miners who seek to enter the USA undocumented. Of the 520 illegal Brazilian immigrants deported by immigration in 2020, at least one-third were from Minas Gerais. The U.S. Department of State, which in Brazil is represented by the American Embassy and consulates, even recently launched a campaign on its social media to raise awareness about the dangers of illegal immigration in the country motivated by the number of people deported last year.
“The most regrettable thing is knowing that many of these people detained and ‘returned’ to Brazil by American authorities could have entered the USA legally if they had known about the many opportunities for visas and green cards that American Immigration offers for qualified immigrants,” pointed out Rodrigo Costa again, who is also the CEO of AG Immigration, an American law firm that represents hundreds of Brazilians in their immigration processes to the USA.
“Minas Gerais has already produced some of the most complete and successful Brazilian professionals working in the United States, and the trend is that this scenario will intensify even more in the coming years with the many opportunities that America has offered to new immigrants. We, miners, certainly have plenty of reasons to be proud of our contributions to the United States,” concluded Rodrigo Costa. Rodrigo Costa is a business administrator and investment specialist in the U.S. job market. He is also the CEO of AG Immigration, an American firm specialized in visa and green card processes for the USA.
Rodrigo Costa is a business administrator and investment specialist in the U.S. job market. He is also the CEO of AG Immigration, an American firm specialized in visa and green card processes for the USA.