In a shocking escalation of its immigration crackdown, the Trump administration deported 2-year-old American citizen Manu Borges Santos to Brazil alongside her undocumented parents on February 21, 2025, despite her U.S. passport and Social Security number. Brazilian officials were stunned to find the Florida-born toddler among 94 deportees on a flight to Fortaleza, with her father, Edivan Borges dos Santos, insisting, “They simply deported us,” denying any choice in the matter, according to The Washington Post. The incident, coupled with Trump’s recent pardons of convicted felons like Michael Grimm, has fueled accusations of a justice system warped by loyalty tests, eroding due process and moral credibility.
Manu, born in Fort Lauderdale in September 2022, was detained with her parents, Elioni Gonçalves and Edivan Borges dos Santos, during a routine Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) check-in in Miramar, Florida. Despite a court motion citing Manu’s citizenship, ICE confiscated the family’s Brazilian documents, blocking their ability to secure Brazilian citizenship for her, per The Daily Beast. Deported as a “tourist,” Manu now faces a stateless limbo in Brazil, without access to healthcare or schooling, her visa set to expire soon. Brazilian police officer Alexsandra Oliveira Medeiros Reis told The Washington Post, “We’d never seen another case like this.”
Critics, including the ACLU, condemn the deportation as a violation of Manu’s constitutional rights, with legal scholars arguing it defies the 14th Amendment’s birthright citizenship clause. U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty, a Trump appointee, expressed alarm in a similar case, stating it is “illegal and unconstitutional” to deport citizens without due process, per The New York Times. The administration’s claim that parents chose to take children is disputed, with attorneys asserting ICE pressured families, per NBC News. This case follows the deportation of three U.S. citizen children to Honduras, including a 4-year-old with cancer, intensifying concerns over rushed deportations.
Trump’s simultaneous clemency for loyalists like Grimm, convicted of tax evasion, and reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, convicted of fraud, starkly contrasts with Manu’s plight. Critics argue this reflects a “loyalty test,” not justice, with 80% of Trump’s first-term pardons benefiting allies, per a Brennan Center report. The White House, via spokesperson Kush Desai, defended the deportations, citing a 93% drop in border crossings and claiming parents made informed choices, but provided no evidence for Manu’s case.
The administration’s push, led by border czar Tom Homan, aims to deport 1 million undocumented migrants by year’s end, with ICE arresting 1,200-1,500 daily, per The Washington Post. Yet, deporting U.S. citizens like Manu, while courts block policies like birthright citizenship bans, reveals a system straining legal and ethical bounds. A May 2025 Pew poll shows 54% of Americans disapprove of Trump’s immigration tactics, despite his 52% “right track” Rasmussen rating.
Manu’s deportation, branded “cruelty” by advocates, underscores a broader erosion of due process, with judges and scholars warning of systemic abuses. As Trump’s pardons reward loyalty, the expulsion of a toddler with no criminal record exposes a justice system critics call selective and perverse.
