Brazil summons US envoy over ill-treatment of deported migrants
Brazil’s Foreign Ministry has summoned the top US envoy to Brasilia over the ill-treatment and disregard of the rights of migrants who were flown out of the country in handcuffs last week.
Gabriel Escobar, the highest-ranking US envoy in Brasilia, was summoned on Monday, a day after the Brazilian government said it would seek explanations from American authorities over the "flagrant disregard" for the rights of dozens of migrants expelled from the US.
Footage showed some deportees descending from the civilian aircraft last Friday with their hands cuffed and their ankles shackled.
The deportees also said that they were subjected to physical abuse and denied water and bathroom visits during their return flight.
The row comes as Latin America grapples with US President Donald Trump's hard-line anti-immigration agenda, as he has pledged crackdowns on irregular migration and mass deportations.
However, AFP cited a government source as saying that the Friday 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.
A major flare-up had also erupted between the US and Colombia over the deportations.
Over the weekend, the Colombian government blocked the arrival of deportation flights from the US because the migrants were being transported in military aircraft.
In response, Trump threatened to impose tariffs and visa sanctions.
The two countries, however, pulled back from the brink of a trade war on Sunday after the White House said the US and the South American nation had reached a deal on deportations.
The White House further said Washington would not impose its threatened penalties.
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