'It felt like we were on display, like meat at a butcher shop', Brazilian former model recounts ICE detention and deportation

Brazilian former model Amanda Ungaro, 41, was deported from the United States by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in October 2025. As previously reported by O GLOBO, she accuses Italian businessman Paolo Zampolli, the father of her son, of using his influence in Washington to trigger her deportation amid a custody dispute over their teenage child. Ungaro and Zampolli were in a relationship for nearly two decades, which ended in 2021. He now serves as a special envoy for global partnerships in the Trump administration, a position created for him by Donald Trump. Exclusive | Brazilian former model says Trump ally used influence to have her deported amid child custody battle Amanda Ungaro | Brazilian former model describes Epstein flight: 'There were about 30 girls, beautiful and very young' In an exclusive interview with O GLOBO, Ungaro described the moment she was arrested and what she witnessed during three and a half months in ICE detention. “Officers came into our home at six in the morning, pulled me into the hallway in my pajamas, with my face turned to the wall, and took our passports,” she said. “They handcuffed me and my husband in front of my son, Giovanni, who was also taken to the station because he is a minor and I had no one to leave him with.” Brazilian former model recounts ICE detention and deportation Ungaro was initially taken to the Broward Transitional Center in Florida and later transferred to the Louisiana ICE Processing Center, where she remained for four days before being deported. At both facilities, she said, conditions were precarious — with shortages ranging from toilet paper to blankets — and the treatment of women was disrespectful. While detained in Florida, she recalled the case of a Colombian woman who was three months into her pregnancy. According to Ungaro, the stress and conditions in the facility contributed to her losing the pregnancy. Despite heavy bleeding and severe pain, the woman was allegedly told that taking her to a hospital would be costly. “They didn’t want to remove the baby,” Ungaro said. She said the woman remained bleeding for days and received medical attention only about a week later, when a doctor administered medication to induce the expulsion of the fetus. 'Amanda, let’s go. You’re being deported' Ungaro said the deportation itself was even more traumatic than the more than three months she spent detained in Florida. When she arrived at the Louisiana ICE Processing Center, where she would remain for four days before her flight, she said she was alarmed by what she saw. “There were warehouse-like structures housing up to 122 people,” she said. “There were triple-tier bunk beds, and the lights were never turned off. The bathrooms were open, and you had to shower with about 10 other people. We never saw daylight.” On the fourth day, when she expected to be deported, she was told her name was not on the list. “I prayed so much that day,” she said. “I prayed on the phone with my pastor, I prayed with the [Brazilian] consulate, I prayed the entire rosary. I thought, ‘My God, I can’t take this anymore.’ I had stopped eating. I spent the entire day lying in bed, with the blanket covering my body and my face.” Shortly before midnight, she said, she heard the announcement she had been waiting for: “Amanda, let’s go. You’re being deported.” Paolo Zampolli | Trump Ally Accused of Sexual Abuse and Domestic Violence by Brazilian Former Model That same night, however, agents said her luggage had not been located. “They said, ‘Either you stay to look for your bag or you leave without it,’” she said. She chose to board the flight. As she was escorted to the plane, she described a hostile environment. “When we passed by the area where the men were sitting, it felt like we were on display, like meat at a butcher shop,” she said. “They were shouting things, and the agents just stood there without saying anything.” With no belongings, Ungaro said she arrived in Brazil with only the clothes she was wearing — a gray ICE-issued tracksuit and shoes larger than her feet. She said she did not know which city she would be sent to. When she landed in Belo Horizonte, she learned it was her final destination and had to go to a shopping mall to buy clothes. “I had to buy something to wear,” she said. “After that, I spent a month in bed with depression. I couldn’t get up, I couldn’t sleep — and I couldn’t sleep with the lights off.” Still, she said the experience ultimately made her stronger. She also offered a warning. “It’s a message to younger girls: be careful about who you get involved with,” she said. “You can have a child with someone who is completely unstable — and it can take you to places you never imagined.” Back in Brazil After returning to Brazil, Ungaro obtained a court order allowing her son, Giovanni, to return to the country as well, which occurred in November 2025. Weeks later, in December, she filed a complaint in Brazil alleging that Zampolli had unlawfully taken the child back to the United States. On social media, Zampolli presented a different account, saying the teenager chose to return on his own, “bought the ticket with his miles” and told him: “Dad, I love America. I want to stay here forever.” A message obtained by O GLOBO shows that, weeks after Giovanni’s return to the United States, Zampolli again invoked his influence, stating that his son would give a statement to Florida state prosecutor Stacy Cleveland and that the record would be forwarded to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. In the same message, he refers to “Jay Clinton,” a name that appears to point to Jay Clayton, whom Trump appointed to serve as U.S. attorney in Manhattan. Bondi and Clayton are involved in handling the Jeffrey Epstein case. The “Madam Cardi” referenced in the message is the attorney appointed by a U.S. court to represent Giovanni’s interests in the custody dispute between his parents. A message in which Paolo Zampolli says his son’s testimony would be forwarded to the U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi Reproduction “This wouldn’t be the first time Paolo has tried to use his influence to obtain favors within the government,” Ungaro said. “I will continue fighting to have my son returned to my custody.” Ungaro also said she has received emails from Zampolli that she interprets as veiled threats, often referencing his proximity to Trump. In one message reviewed by O GLOBO, he wrote: “My position serving the president is not forever, and you should consider letting me complete my work to help secure Giovanni’s future rather than exposing him to unnecessary harm.” In the same communication, Zampolli suggested that public exposure of the case — including media attention and a possible testimony involving Epstein — could harm their son’s chances of being admitted to prestigious universities. Ungaro has been invited, though not formally subpoenaed, to testify before the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Accountability investigating the Jeffrey Epstein case. As previously reported by O GLOBO, she met Epstein only once, in 2002, when she boarded one of his planes from Paris to New York with her then-agent, Jean-Luc Brunel, who was a longtime associate of Epstein. Zampolli’s response Contacted by O GLOBO, Zampolli said he wishes “only the best” for his former partner. Asked about Ungaro’s allegations that he was behind her arrest and subsequent deportation, he called them “absurd.” He said that after speaking with Cleveland, he was told that allegations involving the clinic where Ungaro and her husband worked had already been under investigation for about three years. Asked why he contacted Cleveland, given that the case had no apparent direct connection to him, Zampolli said he was concerned about his son’s safety before ending the call.

Go to News Site