MOBILITY AND BORDER AT THE LIMIT OF URUGUAY-BRAZIL: MIGRATION IN COVID TIMES IN THE BI-NATIONAL CITY CHUY-CHUÍ

Abstract

The borders between Uruguay and Brazil are characterized by multiple mobilities on different scales, with internal movements associated with the economic opportunities presented by the border predominating and articulated with international migration dynamics that have increased in the last decade. This article provides an approach to the field in a specific locality – Chuy-Chuí – at a specific moment, such as the health, social, and economic emergency generated by Covid-19. The aim is to show how the measures adopted by the Uruguayan government regarding human mobility and the management of the border space were related to the reality of this border town and, above all, how these measures were experienced by people in situations of international mobility. Through this analysis, we seek to contribute to the understanding of the meanings people assign to international mobility trajectories in specific spaces and times. The results presented are based on fieldwork conducted between November 2020 and March 2022, which included activities with civil society and interviews with migrants and other institutional actors at and around the border.

Keywords

• border
• human mobility
• migration policy
• uruguay
• chuy