A Brazilian government source told AFP that 111 passengers were on the civilian aircraft which left from Louisiana and arrived in northeastern Fortaleza — confirmed by an AFP photographer on the scene.
“The information we have is that they are all Brazilian,” the source said.
Shortly after taking office last month, US President Donald Trump ordered a battery of measures against undocumented immigrants, including mass raids and deportations, and the deployment of troops on the border with Mexico.
As observers attempt to separate fact from White House rhetoric, however, the Brazilian government source said that the flights that have arrived so far were a result of a 2017 deal with Washington which has resulted in multiple deportations over the years.
According to federal police statistics, 94 flights carrying over 7,500 deportees arrived in Brazil from the United States between 2020 and 2024.
However, the first flight under Trump saw 88 Brazilians arriving in handcuffs and with shackles on their feet, complaining they had not been given water or allowed to use the bathroom.
In response, Brazil summoned the top US envoy to explain what the government called the “flagrant disregard” for the migrants’ rights.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva decided that when the latest flight enters Brazil it “has to land in the closest location so that Brazilians are not left handcuffed on the plane,” the governor of Ceara state, Elmano de Freitas, told a press conference Thursday.
The passengers would then be transported from Fortaleza to southeastern Belo Horizonte by a Brazilian Air Force aircraft.
Brazil this week formed a working group with US representatives to “guarantee the humane reception” of deportees, authorities said.
© 2025 AFP
