U.S. Deports Brazilian Immigrant to Equatorial Guinea – 03/09/2026 – World

The United States deported Brazilian immigrant Pietro Graza de Lima, 57, who lived in Florida, to Equatorial Guinea in late August. He was sent to the West African country along with immigrants from Cuba and Cameroon after a local judge denied a temporary restraining order against his deportation.

On Aug. 20, Lima was put on a flight with dozens of other immigrants bound for Liberia, a country with which the Trump administration also has a deportation agreement for foreign nationals. Along with five other immigrants, he refused to get off the plane and ended up being sent to Equatorial Guinea.

The Brazilian government had not been informed in advance about the deportation to a third country. Brazil’s Foreign Ministry said it only learned that a Brazilian deportee was in Equatorial Guinea on Aug. 25 and has since been seeking permission to provide consular assistance. On Wednesday (2), Brazil’s ambassador to the country was received by the head of the local consular department, who said Lima was in good health and staying at a hotel designated by the authorities.

According to the Third Country Deportation Watch project, there have been six deportation flights from the U.S. to Equatorial Guinea since last year, carrying at least 53 immigrants, all of whom were housed at Hotel Bamy, owned by the family of dictator Teodoro Obiang. Under local law, immigrants may be detained for a maximum of 60 days, after which they must be sent to their countries of origin or may seek asylum in Equatorial Guinea.

Trump has reached deportation agreements for nationals of third countries with more than 30 nations, mainly in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.

https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/internacional/en/