The Brazilian government slammed Washington after dozens of immigrants from the US arrived in handcuffs following Donald Trump’s crackdown on irregular migration and mass deportation.
Brazil foreign ministry called the incident a “flagrant disregard” of Brazilian citizens rights and demanded an explanation over the “degrading treatment of passengers on the flight”.
“The indiscriminate use of handcuffs and shackles violates the terms of the agreement with the US, which foresees the dignified, respectful, and humane treatment of repatriates,” the ministry said in a statement.
“The Brazilian government will shorten the time of its nationals’ stay in US detention centers for irregular immigration, once they no longer have the possibility of appeal. The ministry of foreign Affairs will send a request for clarification to the US government and remains attentive to changes in immigration policies in that country, in order to guarantee the protection, security, and dignity of Brazilians residing there,” it added.
One of the passengers in the flight, Edgar Da Silva Moura who was being deported after seven months in detention in the United States said that many fainted inside the plane due to heat.
“On the plane they didn’t give us water, we were tied hands and feet, they wouldn’t even let us go to the bathroom,” he told news agency AFP.
“It was very hot, some people fainted,” he added.
According to a justice ministry, Brazilian authorities ordered US officials to “immediately remove the handcuffs” after the plane landed in the northern city of Manaus.
Justice minister Ricardo Lewandowski told President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of “the flagrant disregard for the fundamental rights of Brazilian citizens,” the statement said.
The flight was originally destined for the southeastern city of Belo Horizonte, but encountered a technical issue forcing it to land in Manaus.
According to AFP, the deportation flight was not directly linked to any immigration orders issued by Trump upon taking office Monday, but rather stemmed from a 2017 bilateral agreement.
Trump promised a crackdown on illegal immigration during the election campaign and began his second term with a flurry of executive actions aimed at overhauling entry to the United States.
On his first day in office he signed orders declaring a “national emergency” at the southern US border and announced the deployment of more troops to the area while vowing to deport “criminal aliens.”
Several deportation flights since Monday have garnered public and media attention, though such actions were also common under previous US presidents.
There are an estimated 11 million undocumented migrants in the United States, according to the Department of Homeland Security statistics.