Swiss humanitarian effort after WWII helped former Waffen-SS members settle in Brazil

In the immediate aftermath of World War II, a Swiss humanitarian program coordinated with the Catholic Church and NGOs to transport German-speaking Danube refugees to Brazil, where they founded the Entre Ríos colony in Paraná. Among these migrants were at least sixteen former members of the Waffen-SS, who arrived as part of the broader resettlement effort. The operation was promoted as a humanitarian gesture, allowing Switzerland and the Vatican to present themselves as defenders of refugees, despite their wartime ties to Nazi Germany.

The new settlement marginalized existing local farm workers and pursued a narrative of German cultural superiority. Over time, Swiss aid groups such as Caritas and the Swiss European Aid organization admitted they had not screened individuals’ wartime backgrounds and are now reaching out to descendants of impacted populations for their perspectives.