Rep. Johnson Speaks Out for Afro-Brazilian Rights

I rise today in opposition to the Technology Safeguards Accord and the expansion of the Alcantara Launch Center. This agreement was signed by the Trump Administration and the Bolsonaro Administration of Brazil and threatens to expel hundreds of Afro-Brazilian quilombo families from their land, further displacing an already marginalized community. Brazil’s Constitution provides explicit protections for quilombo lands, protections the Bolsonaro administration and this accord blatantly disregard. Previous expansions of the Alcantara Launch Center have already displaced over 300 families and if these plans are carried out, they will displace some 800 additional quilombo families from their constitutionally protected land. I appreciate America’s long-standing relationship with Brazil. However, I cannot support policies that dehumanize native people and bring harm to vulnerable communities in Brazil. I oppose this agreement, and urge my colleagues to do the same.