According to reports, officials discovered 88 Brazilians in handcuffs on board a US jet as it landed in Manaus, Brazil.
In Rio de Janeiro, the Brazilian government is demanding an explanation from the Trump administration over the arrival of deported immigrants in handcuffs aboard a plane. Brazil’s Foreign Ministry stated that the treatment of immigrants during the flight home was a “flagrant disregard” of human rights.
The uproar comes as Latin America grapples with US President Donald Trump’s hardline anti-immigrant policies. Since returning to power a week ago, Trump has carried out his crackdown on irregular migration and mass deportations, with multiple planes transporting illegal immigrants to nations such as Guatemala and Brazil.
They were handcuffed aboard the flight. They directed US officials to “immediately remove the handcuffs,” Brazil’s justice ministry stated in a statement.
Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski informed President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of “the gross contempt for the fundamental rights of Brazilian citizens,” according to the statement.
Brazil will seek “explanations from the US government over the terrible treatment of passengers” on the Friday night flight, the foreign ministry announced on X.
According to the foreign ministry’s statement on X, Brazil will ask the US government for “explanations about the deplorable treatment of passengers” on the Friday night flight.
The American Nightmare
A 31-year-old computer technician named Edgar Da Silva Moura was one of the Brazilians on the trip. He spent seven months in imprisonment in the United States prior to his deportation.
He told news agency AFP, “They did not provide us water on the plane, we were chained wrists and ankles, and they would not even allow us go to the restroom (sic).”
According to Moura, “it was really hot, some people fainted,”
Another passenger on the flight, Luis Antonio Rodrigues Santos, 21, described the “horror” of passengers experiencing “respiratory problems” over “four hours without air conditioning” as a result of technical difficulties on the aircraft.
He declared, “With Trump, things have already changed; immigrants are regarded like criminals.”
Due to a technical problem, the flight had to land in Manaus instead of its scheduled destination in the southeast city of Belo Horizonte.
Flight Not Part Of Trump’s Plan
The deportation flight, according to a government source who spoke to AFP, was the result of a bilateral arrangement in 2017 rather than any immigration measures that Trump issued when he first took office.
According to Macae Evaristo, Brazil’s Human Rights Minister, “children with autism… who went through extremely serious traumas” were also aboard the flight.
Some passengers were seen getting off the civilian plane with their ankles shackled and their hands bound in footage broadcast on Brazilian television.
“A Brazilian Air Force (FAB) aircraft was summoned to convey the Brazilians to their final destination once President Lula learned of the situation, to ensure that they could complete their journey with dignity and safety,” the justice ministry stated.
The fact that the deportees came to Manaus “with their documents” indicates that they consented to go back home, a Brazilian official source told AFP.
Trump’s Immigration Crackdown
Trump started his second term with a slew of executive measures aimed at reforming access to the United States, having pledged throughout the election campaign to crack down on illegal immigration. Declaring a “national emergency” at the southern US border and announcing the deployment of more troops, he issued orders on his first day in office and promised to remove “criminal aliens.”
Although similar procedures were also routine under previous US presidents, a number of deportation flights since Monday have attracted public and media attention.
However, the Trump administration has started deploying military planes for repatriation trips, which is different from previous practice. This week, at least one of these planes landed in Guatemala. Additionally, 265 migrants were sent to Guatemala by the United States on Friday.
The Department of Homeland Security estimates that there are 11 million unauthorized migrants in the United States.