The Trump administration revoked the visa of Brazil’s ambassador to the United States, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, a State Department official said Tuesday, deepening a diplomatic rift with Brasília months ahead of Brazil’s October presidential election.
A senior State Department official told reporters the move was retaliation for Brazil’s refusal to grant approval, or “agrément,” for Trump’s ambassadorial nominee, Florida state lawmaker Daniel Perez, and for Brazil’s earlier denial of visas to two U.S. diplomats. The official stressed Viotti was not being expelled or declared persona non grata, saying she remains in the country but without valid travel documentation, and that the visa would be restored once Brazil approves Perez’s appointment.
Trump nominated Perez in early June, but he has not yet been confirmed by the Senate and cannot take up the post until Brasília signs off. The State Department official said Brazil had left U.S. diplomats unable to carry out “routine common work” between the two countries, adding Washington had not ruled out further “reciprocal actions.”
Brazil’s presidency rejected the U.S. justification, saying in a statement that the decision “forms part of a deliberate escalation of hostile measures against Brazil” driven by “ideological motives.” Brasília has said it denied visas last month to two State Department officials, identified as Riley M. Barnes and a colleague, over concerns their visit was intended to question the integrity of Brazil’s electoral system — an accusation the State Department official denied, calling the planned trip “routine.”
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva separately told his cabinet Tuesday that Washington had also revoked the visa of Brazil’s justice minister, Ricardo Lewandowski, calling the move “irresponsible” and saying Brazil would not be treated “as if we were subordinates.”
The dispute comes on top of new U.S. tariffs on Brazilian goods and unfolds as Lula prepares to face right-wing challenger Flávio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, in October’s election.
