It sounds like the plot of a telenovela, international villain included, but this one is real. Social media accounts in Argentina linked to political consultant Fernando Cerimedo and to influencers close to President Javier Milei are running a disinformation campaign about an alleged "invasion" of Moroccan immigrants in Santa Catarina, a state in southern Brazil, supposedly "driven" by the migration policies of President Lula's government. The case was mapped by the fact-checking outlet Observatorio Lupa and reported by Folha de S.Paulo.
According to the reporting, the campaign went viral starting with the Argentine outlet La Derecha Diario, which published on its site and social networks a piece headlined "Gravissimo: Lula impulsiona a inmigracion de marroquies para o Brasil" ("Very serious: Lula boosts Moroccan immigration to Brazil"). The post claimed that Moroccan immigration had "spiked" thanks to the "socialist government of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva", with alleged economic consequences for municipalities in Santa Catarina. The posts also borrow images from another continent: photos of Spain's refugee crisis in May of this year, when thousands of Moroccans reached the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, in Africa, by swimming or in boats from neighboring Morocco.
The real numbers
The entire campaign rests on the news that 50 Moroccans requested asylum in Santa Catarina over the last three months. Official data, however, paint a picture far from any invasion. According to ObMigra, a federal migration observatory, and Conare, Brazil's refugee committee, there were 57 asylum requests from Moroccans in the state in 2026 through July, just 1.86% of the 3,059 total. Ahead of Morocco on the list are Cubans (1,707), Haitians (543), Venezuelans (227) and even Argentines (61). Nationwide, Brazil has logged 40,961 asylum requests this year, with 24,008 from Cuba, 6,880 from Venezuela and 835 from Morocco.
Who is behind it
Cerimedo, the central figure in the story, owned 50% of La Derecha Diario until last week. He left the company shortly after being arrested in Bolivia, accused of ordering the murder of his former partner, Nadia Beller, who is pregnant. He denies any involvement in the crime, and Folha was unable to reach his defense.
His ties to Brazilian politics are well established. Cerimedo is close to the Bolsonaro family and, after Lula's runoff victory in 2022, hosted livestreams and published posts claiming that Brazil's elections had been rigged. In late July, he appeared in a live broadcast with former congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of the former president.
So far, Folha's report, built on Lupa's monitoring and official migration data, is the main source on the case. For readers who want to follow along, Observatorio Lupa publishes its fact-checks at lupa.uol.com.br, and Eduardo Bolsonaro's livestream with Cerimedo remains available on YouTube.