Brazilian officials in Sao Paulo demanded that U.S. agents remove handcuffs from a group of deportees who arrived in the country on Friday. A minister in President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government criticized the practice as a "blatant disrespect" for citizens' rights.
Under the instruction of Brazilian Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski, federal police met the flight which had to make an emergency landing in Manaus due to technical issues. The plane was initially scheduled to land in Belo Horizonte with 88 Brazilian passengers, 16 U.S. security agents, and eight crew members.
Following the intervention of Brazilian police, the handcuffs were taken off the passengers. Upon learning of the situation, Lula ordered the passengers be flown to their final destination on a Brazilian Air Force plane to ensure their journey with "dignity and safety," according to a statement from the Brazilian Justice Ministry.
This flight marked the second deportation from the U.S. to Brazil this year and the first post-Trump's inauguration, as per Brazil's Justice Ministry and federal police. The Trump administration's strict immigration policies have included mass deportations of undocumented migrants.
The use of restraints on deportees during flights from the U.S. to Brazil had sparked controversy in the South American nation. Former President Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump supporter, also urged an end to the practice. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately comment on the issue.