U.S. Government Deportations Must Not Violate Human Rights, says WBO
WBO Statement
January 27 2025
The deportation of 88 Brazilian citizens sent back from the United State to Brazil on the evening of Saturday, January 25, was marked by several violations of International Human Rights Law and other international documents on immigration, which requires a strong reaction not only from the Brazilian government, but also from civil society in both countries, as well as from regional agencies responsible for monitoring the situation, in the view of the Washington Brazil Office (WBO).
The deported Brazilians reportedly were kept chained by their hands and feet for many hours inside an aircraft that was very hot. Without access to a bathroom, they were also deprived of adequate hydration and food. Some were physically assaulted by American agents, which left marks on their bodies. Several reported having been the object of insults and verbal aggression. The flight was a mix of children and adults, all kept equally in unsanitary, degrading, and humiliating conditions.
“No internal US immigration rule can override the minimum essential guarantees that international law grants to all people. Regardless of nationality and legal status, no person can be exposed to humiliating, cruel, and degrading treatment under any circumstances,” said Paulo Abrão, executive director of the WBO.
“The violations committed in this episode against Brazilians are just a sample of what is happening right now in the United States more broadly with thousands of immigrants of many nationalities. Donald Trump has initiated a nefarious policy of persecution and rights violations. He seeks to suppress even rights guaranteed by the US Constitution, such as the right to U.S. citizenship for every child born in the United States, as stated by the 14th Amendment. Civil society and the countries affected by these measures must respond accordingly,” said James N. Green, president of the WBO Board of Directors.
The practice of sending flights with deportees to Brazil is not new and has been maintained over the years by different governments in Brazil and the United States. In 2020, when one of these flights carrying handcuffed Brazilians on board arrived in Brazil, then-President Jair Bolsonaro said that countries are free to deport undocumented immigrants. When asked whether he opposed the measure, he said that he would not do the same with U.S. citizens, but that Trump was the one who should be asked about the matter, not him.
This time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's government published a statement in which it opposed what it called the “degrading treatment” meted out to Brazilian citizens. The statement also said that it considered the practice “unacceptable.” The WBO supports the statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Itamaraty) and urges the Brazilian government to remain vigilant on the matter, given Trump's promise to continue deportations throughout his four years in office.
