The United States has revoked the visa of Brazil’s ambassador in Washington, according to a state department official, pushing an already strained relationship further as Brazil approaches elections.
The move against Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti follows Brazil’s refusal last month to grant visas to two state department officials who had planned to travel there. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva accused the pair of wanting to meddle in the Brazilian elections. Washington dismissed that as baseless.
The official was clear that Viotti is not being expelled, and a state department spokesperson described the visa cancellation as a reciprocal action. The department said it had been in touch with the Brazilian government for weeks and had given it every chance to do the right thing, only to meet repeated delay and obfuscation.
Viotti is not barred from the country, though the department noted that further diplomatic options are still available to it.
The BBC has approached the Brazilian government and its embassy for comment.
A relationship already under strain
This sits on top of several other disputes. Washington has reimposed tariffs on Brazil in recent months and designated Brazilian gangs as terrorist organisations.
The two officials at the centre of the visa row were due in Brazil in late July for what they described as a trip covering freedom of expression, religious freedom and election integrity. They were also set to meet Flávio Bolsonaro, the right-wing candidate and son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently serving 27 years for plotting a coup after losing the last election.
Brasília blocked the delegation’s visas after a separate meeting in which Flávio Bolsonaro told an audience of diplomats that Brazil’s voting machines shared an origin with Venezuela’s, referring to a CIA report on electoral fraud there. He has since said he was not questioning the integrity of the system and wanted as many international observers as possible.
The Brazilian government’s stated concern was that the visitors would cast unfounded doubt on the vote. The blocked officials have been named as Riley M Barnes, assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labour, and Samuel Samson, a deputy assistant secretary in the same section.
Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court has rejected Bolsonaro’s claims about the electronic voting machines. Specialists rate the Brazilian system among the most secure anywhere.
Bolsonaro has picked up endorsements from Argentine President Javier Milei and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
An empty embassy in Brasília
There is a second vacancy driving friction. Brazil has not approved Donald Trump’s choice for the next US ambassador, Daniel Perez, a Florida state representative and close ally of Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Trump nominated him on 1 June without first seeking Brazilian approval, a step normally taken as a matter of course.
Lula has been openly critical of the state department under Rubio and what he sees as its growing involvement in Latin American politics, including backing conservative candidates in some races.
