SAO PAULO (AFP) — Brazil’s government expressed outrage on Saturday after dozens of immigrants deported from the United States (US) arrived by plane in handcuffs, calling it a “flagrant disregard” for their rights.

The foreign ministry said it would demand an explanation from Washington over the “degrading treatment of passengers on the flight.”

The spat comes as Latin America grapples with US President Donald Trump’s return to power bringing a hard-line anti-immigration agenda, promising crackdowns on irregular migration and mass deportations.

When the plane landed in the northern city of Manaus, Brazilian authorities ordered US officials to “immediately remove the handcuffs,” the justice ministry said in a statement.

Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski told President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of “the flagrant disregard for the fundamental rights of Brazilian citizens,” the statement said.

Brazil will request “explanations from the US government about the degrading treatment of passengers” on the Friday night flight, the foreign ministry said on X.

The government said 88 Brazilians were aboard the aircraft.

Edgar Da Silva Moura, a 31-year-old computer technician, was on the flight, after seven months in detention in the US.

“On the plane they didn’t give us water, we were tied hands and feet, they wouldn’t even let us go to the bathroom,” he told Agence France-Presse.

“It was very hot, some people fainted.”

Luis Antonio Rodrigues Santos, a 21-year-old freelancer, recounted the “nightmare” of people with “respiratory problems” during “four hours without air conditioning” due to technical issues on the plane.

“Things have already changed (with Trump), immigrants are treated as criminals,” he said.