The Government of Brazil has denounced the use of handcuffs on Brazilian citizens by U.S. authorities during a deportation flight. The Minister of Justice and Public Security, Ricardo Lewandowski, ordered the Federal Police to request that U.S. agents immediately remove the handcuffs from the passengers on board the aircraft.
This incident took place when the plane made a technical stop in the city of Manaus. During this stop, the 88 deportees traveling on the plane were assisted in an area of the airport where they were provided with food, mattresses, and access to bathrooms with showers.
Lewandowski informed President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva about the situation, calling the use of handcuffs a blatant violation of the fundamental rights of those citizens. In a statement, the Ministry of Justice and Public Security emphasized the importance of human dignity as a basic principle of the Federal Constitution and the democratic rule of law.
In light of this event, President Lula ordered that an aircraft from the Armed Forces transport the deportees from Manaus to the city of Belo Horizonte, their final destination, so they could complete the journey with dignity and safety. It is noteworthy that this was the first deportation flight since U.S. President Donald Trump took office, although it was scheduled before his term and is part of a bilateral agreement signed in 2017, according to sources from the Foreign Ministry.
