By Kolawole Ojebisi
Brazil’s government has registered its dissatisfaction over what it called the disregard for human dignity shown by the administration of Donald Trump in the manner its citizens were deported on Friday.
Expressing outrage over the development, the Brazilian government noted that its citizens who are among the dozens of immigrants deported from the United States that arrived by plane in handcuffs, calling it a “flagrant disregard” for their rights.
The foreign ministry announced it would demand an explanation from Washington over the “degrading treatment of passengers on the flight”.
The incident comes amid Latin America’s concern over Trump’s return to power, bringing a hard-line anti-immigration agenda, including crackdowns on irregular migration and mass deportations.
When the plane reportedly landed in the northern city of Manaus, Brazilian authorities ordered US officials to “immediately remove the handcuffs,” the justice ministry said in a statement.
Brazil’s Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski informed President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of “the flagrant disregard for the fundamental rights of Brazilian citizens,” the statement added.
Brazil’s foreign ministry also stated it would request “explanations from the US government about the degrading treatment of passengers” on the Friday night flight, via a post on X (formerly Twitter).
The government reported that 88 Brazilians were aboard the aircraft. One of the passengers, Edgar da Silva Moura, a 31-year-old computer technician, recounted his ordeal after spending seven months in detention in the United States.
“On the plane, they didn’t give us water. We were tied hands and feet, and they wouldn’t even let us go to the bathroom,” he told AFP. “It was very hot, and some people fainted.”
Luis Antonio Rodrigues Santos, a 21-year-old freelancer, described the journey as a “nightmare”, explaining that people with “respiratory problems” suffered during “four hours without air conditioning” due to technical issues on the plane.
The flight, initially destined for the southeastern city of Belo Horizonte, was forced to land in Manaus because of technical issues.
Meanwhile, it was gathered that the deportation flight might not be directly linked to any immigration orders issued by Trump upon taking office on Monday, but instead stemmed from a 2017 bilateral agreement. Brazil’s Minister of Human Rights, Macaé Evaristo, reported that “children with autism … who went through very serious experiences” were also on board.
Footage broadcast on Brazilian television showed some passengers descending from the civilian aircraft with their hands handcuffed and their ankles shackled.
“Upon learning of the situation, President Lula ordered that a Brazilian Air Force (FAB) aircraft be mobilised to transport the Brazilians to their final destination, ensuring they could complete their journey with dignity and safety,” the justice ministry said.
Trump has promised a crackdown on illegal immigration during his re-election campaign and began his second term with executive orders aimed at overhauling entry into the United States.
On his first day in office, he signed orders declaring a “national emergency” at the southern US border, announced the deployment of more troops to the area, and vowed to deport “criminal aliens”.
Several deportation flights since Monday have drawn public and media attention, although such actions were also common under previous US administrations.
