Brazil’s Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship (MDHC) operated the year’s first humanitarian repatriation flight on 7-8 January, bringing 32 Brazilians deported from the United States into Belo Horizonte/Confins Airport. The movement inaugurates the 2026 edition of the long-running “Aqui é Brasil” programme, which has organised 38 charter flights and helped more than 3,100 citizens return home since 2019.
Unlike the 80-plus-passenger flights seen in 2025, the January charter carried a deliberately small cohort so that reception staff could provide individualised support. On arrival, deportees received hotel accommodation, hygiene kits, medical screening and psychosocial counselling. Within 48 hours the MDHC issued onward tickets to home states and assigned case managers who will follow each returnee for up to 90 days.
![First 2026 “Aqui é Brasil” Charter Repatriates 32 Deported Nationals from the U.S.]()
The MDHC says additional flights will be scheduled “as needed” in 2026 and is piloting a digital pre-registration portal that will let deportees upload travel-document data before boarding, reducing bottlenecks at Brazilian passport control. The agency is also negotiating data-sharing protocols with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to receive passenger manifests earlier.
For global mobility managers the operation is a timely reminder that Brazilian assignees in the United States can be removed with very little notice once legal avenues are exhausted. Employers are urged to audit the visa status of Brazilian staff on U.S. projects, ensure that extensions are filed early and maintain contingency plans for abrupt repatriations.
Travellers and HR teams wanting to stay ahead of documentation pitfalls can use VisaHQ’s Brazil portal to monitor visa obligations, automate reminders and arrange fast courier services for renewals—practical safeguards against the costly disruptions that forced removals can trigger.
Unlike the 80-plus-passenger flights seen in 2025, the January charter carried a deliberately small cohort so that reception staff could provide individualised support. On arrival, deportees received hotel accommodation, hygiene kits, medical screening and psychosocial counselling. Within 48 hours the MDHC issued onward tickets to home states and assigned case managers who will follow each returnee for up to 90 days.
The MDHC says additional flights will be scheduled “as needed” in 2026 and is piloting a digital pre-registration portal that will let deportees upload travel-document data before boarding, reducing bottlenecks at Brazilian passport control. The agency is also negotiating data-sharing protocols with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to receive passenger manifests earlier.
For global mobility managers the operation is a timely reminder that Brazilian assignees in the United States can be removed with very little notice once legal avenues are exhausted. Employers are urged to audit the visa status of Brazilian staff on U.S. projects, ensure that extensions are filed early and maintain contingency plans for abrupt repatriations.
Travellers and HR teams wanting to stay ahead of documentation pitfalls can use VisaHQ’s Brazil portal to monitor visa obligations, automate reminders and arrange fast courier services for renewals—practical safeguards against the costly disruptions that forced removals can trigger.
