Brazil's government expressed outrage on Saturday after dozens of immigrants deported from the United States arrived by plane in handcuffs, calling it a "flagrant disregard" for their rights.
The spat comes as Latin America grapples with US President Donald Trump's return to power with a hard-line anti-immigration agenda, promising crackdowns on irregular migration and mass deportations. When the plane landed in the northern city of Manaus, Brazilian authorities ordered US officials to "immediately remove the handcuffs," the justice ministry said in a statement.
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.
A government source told 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.
The flight was originally destined for the southeastern city of Belo Horizonte but encountered a technical issue forcing it to land in Manaus.
A statement from Brazil's federal police said the plane arrived Friday night with 88 Brazilians on board, but the government of Amazonas state, of which Manaus is the capital, said there were 79 passengers - 62 men, 11 women and six children.
"Upon learning of the situation, President Lula ordered that a Brazilian Air Force (FAB) aircraft be mobilized to transport the Brazilians to their final destination, in order to ensure that they could complete their journey with dignity and safety," the justice ministry said.
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.
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