Brazil-Venezuela border reopens amid fight over refugees

One of the main border crossings between Brazil and Venezuela has reopened after a legal fight that kept it shuttered it for nearly a day.

It’s part of a tug-of-war between a state government overwhelmed by hundreds of Venezuelans arriving every day and the federal government and higher courts, which insist the border must stay open.

The crossing in the Brazilian city of Pacaraima was opened Tuesday after a lower court decision was overturned.

The border was closed Monday after Judge Helder Girao Barreto ruled it should be closed until a program to relocate Venezuelan refugees can keep pace with daily arrivals. However, that decision was reversed by an appellate court.

Over the last year, tens of thousands of Venezuelans, fleeing economic hardships, have taken refuge in Brazil.