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The State Department revoked the visa of Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, the Brazilian ambassador to the U.S., on Tuesday amid tensions between the two governments.
In a statement, the office of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said it “repudiates” the decision by the State Department to revoke Viotti’s visa. Viotti has been Lula’s ambassador to the U.S. since June 2023.
A State Department spokesperson told The Hill the move was a “reciprocal action,” as the Brazilian government has delayed the approval of Daniel Perez, President Trump’s pick to serve as U.S. ambassador to Brazil.
Trump nominated Perez, the speaker of the Florida House, to the post in early June. But the Brazilian government is yet to approve his appointment, under a process both sides referred to as “agrément.”
The State Department spokesperson added, “President Trump has the right to determine who represents the American people and interests around the world.” The spokesperson also said the department rejects “any effort by foreign countries to interfere in our domestic processes.”
But the Brazilian government pushed back on that justification, saying the Trump administration “publicly announced the name of its nominee before formally requesting agrément from the Brazilian Government.”
Lula’s office continued, “Brazil strictly adheres to international law. The Vienna Convention establishes no deadline for the granting of agrément. The U.S. request remains under consideration.”
The Brazilian government also accused two U.S. government officials of recently trying to enter Brazil “in order to cast doubt” on the country’s electoral system.
Trump and administration officials have accused Lula’s government of targeting former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro cannot run for office this cycle under a Brazilian Supreme Court ruling, but his son, Flávio Bolsonaro, is challenging Lula for the presidency this year.
“Today’s decision is not an isolated incident,” Lula’s office added. “It is part of a deliberate escalation of hostile measures against Brazil, motivated by ideological considerations that are incompatible with a bilateral partnership that has always been grounded in mutual respect.”
Economic tensions have also emerged between the two governments in recent weeks, as the office of U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer unveiled 25 percent tariffs on certain goods imported from Brazil last month.
Greer’s office cited Brazil’s digital trade policies, poor anti-corruption enforcement and its own tariffs in issuing the tariffs pursuant to Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974.
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