Washington Revokes Visa of Brazilian Ambassador

The United States revoked the visa of Brazil’s ambassador to Washington, days after the Brazilian government refused to grant visas to two U.S. officials, a State Department official said on Tuesday.

According to the official, this decision does not mean the expulsion of Ambassador Maria Luiza Ribeiro from the country, but it comes at a time when relations between the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump and his Brazilian counterpart, leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, are experiencing renewed tensions.

The U.S. official, who requested anonymity, said the measure would be suspended if Brazil agreed to accredit the new U.S. ambassador to Brasília, Daniel Perez, who was appointed by Trump but has not yet assumed his post.

This follows Brazil’s refusal to grant visas to two U.S. officials who had sought to meet representatives of Brazil’s electoral authorities less than three months before the presidential elections, according to a Brazilian diplomatic source who cited “risks of political exploitation.”

At the time, a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said the officials had planned to visit Brasília from July 27 to 30 to discuss “electoral integrity, religious freedom, and freedom of expression” with government officials, religious leaders, and others.

He added, “Any hint of a maneuver to undermine the elections of a democratic country is a baseless lie. It was a routine visit.”

Brazil’s refusal came after far-right presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro repeated this week baseless claims that the country’s electronic voting system is insecure, while U.S. President Trump continues to promote false allegations of widespread fraud that he claimed deprived him of victory in the 2020 elections.