For Brazilians traveling to Europe in the early 2000s, no place inspired more fear than Madrid-Barajas Airport.
Situated a 15-minute drive from Madrid, Barajas is the busiest airport in Spain. It is also where thousands of European dreams have been crushed before they even had a chance to begin.
In large numbers, Brazilians often were refused entry to the Spanish capital beginning in the 2000s. It all led to a diplomatic row between the two nations and the adoption of a reciprocity principle in Brazil that tightened the rules regarding Spanish immigrants' entry into their country.
According to official reports, 1,902 Brazilians were barred at Barajas airport in 2009 alone—the largest of any one nationality.