Wall of visas: how race impacts the externalization of (forced) migration control in south-south migration corridors

Externalization happens when countries “extend” their borders beyond their territorial limits. While existing literature on it focuses on the “Global North”, similar practices in the “Global South” are understudied and implemented differently, with a greater use of visas as a hidden type of externalization strategy. Little is known on whether these practices are racially determined. We partly fill this gap; focusing on Brazil, we demonstrate how it uses humanitarian visas for Haitians and family reunification visas for Sub-Saharan African refugees as an externalization strategy to control the (forced) migration of black forced migrants to Brazil. We draw from thematic analysis of legislation, minutes from official meetings, interviews with stakeholders and diplomatic archival research. We show that, despite its “liberal” migration policy, Brazil's visa policies instead function as a hidden externalization strategy, operating as a metaphorical “racial wall of visas”, keeping mainly black (forced) migrants out, preventing them from receiving protection.