Brazil’s government has slammed the US government and President Donald Trump.
This comes after Trump deported dozens of immigrants from the United States to Brazil in hand cuffs.
The government accused the US government of “flagrant disregard” for their rights.
The government said on Saturday that it would demand an ‘explanation’ from the United States.
According to AFP, this is coming after President Trump’s order on border closure and crackdown on illegal immigrants in the U.S. becomes effective with ongoing mass deportations.
Several planes have taken illegal immigrants to different countries like Guatemala and Brazil.
According to the country’s justice ministry, the authorities ordered US officials to “immediately remove the handcuffs” when the plane landed in Brazil’s northern city of Manaus on Saturday.
The statement added upon hearing of “the flagrant disregard for the fundamental rights of Brazilian citizens” through that justice minister Ricardo Lewandowski, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva mobilized aircraft to transport the Brazilians to their final destinations.
“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.
The foreign ministry stated that 88 Brazilians were aboard the aircraft, vowing to request “explanations from the US government about the degrading treatment of passengers” on the Friday night flight.
Several deported immigrants told the media that they weren’t given water during the flight and were brought with their hands and feet tied, AFP reported. The report also suggested that some of the passengers on the plane even fainted due to the heat.
While Donald Trump’s directive to crack down on illegal immigrants is becoming effective, the flight wasn’t linked to that but a 2017 bilateral agreement between both countries.
A brazilian government source told AFP that the deportees who arrived in Manaus travelled “with their documents”, which shows that they agreed to return home.
