Brazil’s Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship (MDHC) has operated the year’s first humanitarian repatriation flight under its ‘Aqui é Brasil’ programme, bringing 32 nationals deported from the United States into Belo Horizonte/Confins Airport late on 7 January. Processing and initial reception were completed on 8 January.
The inter-ministerial operation—co-ordinated with the Foreign Affairs, Justice, Social Development and Health ministries—provides hotel accommodation, food, hygiene kits, medical screening and psychosocial support. Smaller cohort sizes are meant to allow more individualised assistance compared with 2025 flights that carried over 80 passengers.
![First 2026 ‘Aqui é Brasil’ charter repatriates 32 deported Brazilians from U.S.]()
After triage, travellers receive onward tickets to their home states and up to 90 days of case management. Since 2019 the programme has organised 38 charter flights, returning more than 3,100 citizens. MDHC says additional flights will be scheduled “as needed” and is exploring a digital portal to pre-register deportees and speed border processing.
For corporate mobility teams the flights are a reminder that Brazilian employees in the United States who exhaust legal options can be removed with little notice. Employers should double-check visa status and overstay risks for Brazilian staff on U.S. assignments to avoid abrupt project disruptions.
The inter-ministerial operation—co-ordinated with the Foreign Affairs, Justice, Social Development and Health ministries—provides hotel accommodation, food, hygiene kits, medical screening and psychosocial support. Smaller cohort sizes are meant to allow more individualised assistance compared with 2025 flights that carried over 80 passengers.
After triage, travellers receive onward tickets to their home states and up to 90 days of case management. Since 2019 the programme has organised 38 charter flights, returning more than 3,100 citizens. MDHC says additional flights will be scheduled “as needed” and is exploring a digital portal to pre-register deportees and speed border processing.
For corporate mobility teams the flights are a reminder that Brazilian employees in the United States who exhaust legal options can be removed with little notice. Employers should double-check visa status and overstay risks for Brazilian staff on U.S. assignments to avoid abrupt project disruptions.
Source: VisaHQ – Global Mobility News
