Brazil summons US envoy over treatment of deported migrants

A man deported from US arrives at Confins International Airport in Confins, Minas Gerais state, Brazil on January 25, 2025. Agence France-Presse

BRASILIA — The Brazilian government on Monday summoned the top US envoy to Brasilia to explain the treatment meted out to deported migrants who returned home last week, an official source told AFP.

Washington’s most senior representative to the South American country, Gabriel Escobar, was called in after Brazil expressed outrage over migrants arriving by plane in handcuffs.

The spat comes as Latin America grapples with US President Donald Trump’s return to power bringing a hard-line anti-immigration agenda, promising crackdowns on irregular migration and mass deportations.

READ: Brazil slams US after dozens of deportees arrive handcuffed

Brazil’s government on Saturday slammed a “flagrant disregard” for the rights of dozens of migrants expelled from the United States, with some claiming they were denied water and bathroom visits during their return flight.

Footage on Brazilian television showed some passengers descending from the civilian aircraft with their hands cuffed and their ankles shackled.

A government source told AFP the deportation flight was not directly linked to any immigration orders issued by Trump upon taking office last Monday, but rather stemmed from a 2017 bilateral agreement.

READ: Brazil’s Bolsonaro denied passport for Trump inauguration

There are an estimated 11 million undocumented migrants in the United States, according to the Department of Homeland Security statistics.