Lula and Foreign Minister to Address Immigration Deportations

Today, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is set to meet with Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira to discuss the recent deportation of Brazilian immigrants from the United States. The meeting, scheduled for 10:30 AM, aims to assess the situation surrounding these deportations and the Brazilian government's response.

This discussion comes in light of an urgent call from the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac), which has organized a meeting of heads of state for January 30 to deliberate on the deportation issues exacerbated by the new U.S. administration under Donald Trump. Honduras, currently holding the rotating presidency of Celac, initiated this urgent meeting to address the rising concerns among member countries.

Lula's potential participation may be remote, as the meeting will be conducted in a hybrid format. However, reports suggest that Minister Vieira may be dispatched to Honduras to participate in person. This situation has escalated following the recent arrival of a flight carrying 158 deported individuals back to Brazil, with 88 of them being undocumented Brazilian immigrants who reported serious mistreatment during their transit, including inadequate food, technical issues with the aircraft, and physical abuse.

Upon their return, Brazilian authorities mandated the removal of handcuffs from the deportees, denouncing the practice as a blatant violation of the fundamental rights of Brazilian citizens. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has condemned the treatment received by these deported individuals as "degrading" and has pledged to seek explanations from the U.S. government regarding these allegations.

In recent days, President Lula has refrained from publicly commenting on the deportations, delegating statements to the Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Justice. Brazil's re-engagement with Celac, which occurred after a hiatus during the previous administration of Jair Bolsonaro, underscores the current government's focus on collaboration and dialogue within Latin America.