Belém City Hall delivers new shelter to Warao indigenous people

On August 5th, Belém City Hall delivered a new reception space for Warao indigenous people in the Maracacuera neighborhood. The inauguration takes place less than two months after the Federal Court imposed a fine of R$1 million on the municipality for non-compliance with a court decision related to the restructuring of the reception network for this population. According to the city hall, the new Saiind-Warao Reception Space has capacity for 120 people and currently houses 19 families, totaling around 100 people. The municipal management also informed that the transfer of families that remain in the old Tapanã space is scheduled for next week. The new unit is located on Estrada Velha do Outeiro and has 19 individual temporary homes, as well as a kitchen, pantry, laundry room, bathrooms, playroom, sports court, two rooms for socio-educational and cultural activities, guardhouse and administrative sector, where family support is carried out. The delivery takes place in the midst of a legal process related to the reception conditions of the Warao indigenous people in a situation of migration and refuge in the capital of Pará. On June 15, the Federal Court imposed fines of R$1 million on Belém City Hall and R$1 million on the Government of Pará for non-compliance with decisions and a judicial agreement related to the reception of indigenous people. The decision partially responded to a request from the Federal Public Ministry (MPF). According to the agency, the municipality had not presented, within the deadline determined by the Court, a plan for restructuring the shelters, with a project and execution schedule. At the beginning of June, before the fine was applied, the MPF reported that the City Hall had accumulated 343 days of delay and the Papa João XXIII Foundation (Funpapa), 332 days, in complying with the determination. At the time, the MPF asked the Court to charge R$3 million in fines, R$1 million for the Government of Pará, R$1 million for the City of Belém and R$1 million for Funpapa. When analyzing the request, the Court imposed a fine of R$1 million on the State and R$1 million on the municipality. Funpapa did not receive a separate fine. According to the MPF, the decision considered that a penalty against the foundation could compromise the execution of the public social assistance policy itself. The Court also established a new deadline of 60 days for City Hall and Funpapa to present the project and restructuring schedule. According to the MPF, the documents should be prepared after Prior, Free and Informed Consultation with the Warao indigenous people. What the City of Belém says In a note sent to the report, the City of Belém informed that the delivery of the new Saiind-Warao Reception Space was carried out on August 5th and that the unit is part of the municipal policy of reception and social protection aimed at indigenous peoples in the context of mobility. The management reported that the Indigenous Assistance Service (Saiind) has been operating since 2020 and stated that the implementation of the new unit involved consultations with the Warao indigenous people. According to the city hall, a Prior, Free and Informed Consultation was carried out in September 2025. Other consultations took place in April 2026 and in two stages in June. The city hall also stated that meetings and assemblies were held to prepare the change and ensure that the demands presented by families were heard and incorporated into the project. Currently, according to the municipality, 19 families, around 100 people, are accommodated in the new structure. The total capacity is 120 people. Management informed that families still in the old Tapanã space should be transferred to the new unit next week. In the note sent to the report, the city hall did not comment on the R$1 million fine imposed by the Federal Court. In the publication about the inauguration, the city hall informed that the project for the new space was developed with the participation of Funpapa, the technical team responsible for the work and the Warao indigenous people. During the delivery, the coordinator of the Warao Reception Space, Renata Pinho, stated that the families participated in the planning of the structure. "This space was built especially for them. Everything was planned together with the Funpapa team, the architect and the indigenous families themselves, who participated in the entire process", he stated. History of charges The reception conditions of the Warao indigenous people in Belém are subject to judicial monitoring. According to the MPF, City Hall and Funpapa had received orders to present, within 60 days, a restructuring plan for the shelter, including project and schedule. In a statement presented to the Court at the beginning of June, the organization stated that inspections carried out at the Tapanã shelter and in private homes had identified the persistence of vulnerable situations among Warao indigenous people who lived in Belém. The MPF also demanded that the municipality present documents to prove the application of R$ 1.4 million transferred by the Union for reception actions. When imposing a fine of R$1 million on the municipality in June, the Court granted a new period of 60 days for City Hall and Funpapa to present the project and restructuring schedule. In case of further non-compliance, the decision established a daily fine of R$5,000.