Brazilian Deportees Stage Protest Over Flight Conditions: 'I Spent Almost 50 Hours In Handcuffs'

The Brazilian government presented a complaint before its U.S. counterpart over the treatment of 88 nationals who were deported to the South American country last week.

The conditions of the flight led the deportees to stage a protest, even opening an emergency door and walking on a wing to show their discontent. According to Infobae, the plane's air conditioning system experienced malfunctioning after stopping to refuel in the Brazilian city of Manaos.

But deportees also complained about other aspects of the operation, including the use of handcuffs. Brazilian Justice and Public Safety Minister Ricardo Lewandowski criticized this, calling it a "lack of respect to the fundamental rights of Brazilian citizens."

One of the deportees told the outlet that "not even a dog deserved to be treated" the way they were. "I spent almost 50 hours in handcuffs and without a proper meal. I haven't showered in five days," he said.

The Brazilian Foreign Ministry said the use of handcuffs violates an agreement between the country and the U.S. "which contemplates the dignified, respectful and humane treatment" of deportees.

"The Brazilian government deems unacceptable that the conditions agreed upon were not respected. Brazil agreed to carry out repatriation flights since 2018 to reduce the amount of time citizens spend in detention centers in the U.S. due to irregular immigration and inability to appeal," the statement added.

Lula is now contemplating whether to assist to an emergency meeting called by the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). Set for Thursday, it was called by Honduran President Xiomara Castro, the bloc's current holder of the rotational presidency, after the tariff standoff between the United States and Colombia on Sunday.

Migration" and "Latin American and Caribbean unity" are two of the three topics listed on the agenda, the other one being "Environment." Castro has already confirmed that Colombian President Gustavo Petro, who had requested the meeting amid the confrontation with the Trump administration, will take part in it.

Even though the standoff ended on Sunday night after Colombia accepted receiving deported nationals, the confrontation sent shockwaves through the regional geopolitical landscape as Donald Trump swiftly announced tariffs and sanctions against Colombia for refusing to receive deportees.

Other Latin American countries are seemingly taking a different approach. One of them is El Salvador, which is reportedly negotiating a deal with the Trump administration to receive deportees from third countries, CBS News reported.

Concretely, the governments are working on an agreement for the Central American nation to be designated as a "safe third country." It would entail it taking migrants from other countries and prevent them from requesting asylum in the U.S. Guatemala is also reportedly willing to take deportees from third countries as the Bernardo Arevalo De Leon government seeks smooth relations with its American counterpart.