Segurança humana e migração infantil: uma análise da naturalização provisória de crianças haitianas no Brasil (2018-2024)

Abstract

Nationality, beyond a merely formal legal bond, constitutes a central element for access to rights and for the stabilization of the legal status of migrant children in situations of vulnerability. This dissertation was guided by the following question: how does the granting of provisional naturalization to Haitian children in Brazil, between 2018 and 2024, reveal dynamics of human (in) security within the context of international migration? The hypothesis sustained that the institute operates simultaneously as a mechanism of protection and as a state instrument for the management of mobility, contributing to the expansion of access to rights, while remaining conditioned by administrative, procedural, and institutional obstacles that limit its effectiveness. Methodologically, the research adopted a qualitative approach, combining a bibliographical review in the fields of International Security and Law with content analysis of administrative acts published in the Official Gazette of the Union, data provided by the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP), and judicial decisions issued by the Federal Regional Court of the 4th Region (TRF4). The analysis was structured around three axes: the panorama of provisional naturalization in Brazil between 2018 and 2024; the profile of naturalized Haitian children; and the administrative and judicial limitations related to access to the institute. The results indicate that provisional naturalization contributes to legal stabilization, the expansion of access to rights, and the strengthening of belonging among children originating from contexts of crisis. Nevertheless, obstacles associated with the operationalization of the institute became evident, particularly due to procedural, informational, and institutional barriers. The study also identified tensions between the administrative logic, often restrictive in nature, and the actions of the Judiciary, which tend to prioritize the full protection of the child and their effective integration into the national territory. It is concluded that provisional naturalization constitutes a relevant mechanism of protection within the field of human security, while simultaneously revealing the limits and contradictions of state responses to international child mobility. Furthermore, the research highlights Brazil’s role in contemporary migration geopolitics, especially within the South-South context, by demonstrating how the country has consolidated itself not merely as a territory of transit, but also as a space of permanence, integration, and redefinition of legal and political belonging.