From Carandiru to Liberdade: Expulsions; National Borders; Carcerality and Interior Frontiers in São Paulo, Brazil

This paper examines the intersection of national borders and territorial expulsions through the experiences of foreign nationals in São Paulo, Brazil’s largest city. Drawing on fieldwork conducted with undocumented migrants and asylum seekers who have been subject to expulsion orders issued by the Brazilian Ministry of Justice, the paper explores the multiple meanings of the expulsion processes these individuals face. The study focuses on Congolese, Filipino, Bolivian, and Ecuadorian migrants, analyzing their forced removal from central urban territories in São Paulo by state police, within the context of gentrification and urban development policies. These urban expulsions intersect with legal processes of national expulsion. Drawing on transnational feminist frameworks, the article highlights the centrality of borders in understanding both voluntary and involuntary mobilities, while analyzing the profound impact of policies targeting populations categorized as foreign by transnational and supranational border policing agents.