Why? If it's true that his visa wasn't valid, he should never have been here in the first place.  That in NO WAY excuses the police, but it's a valid point.

You can flame me all you want for that, but if your life in Brazil is so bad that you flee from the cops to avert being deported, THE DAY AFTER THE BOMBS, than maybe you should have claimed asylum.  If that wasn't the case, and the story about him staying on to earn money to send home to his family is true, than that's one hell of a big risk to take in the current climate...

Think about it.