The Trump administration revoked the visa of Brazil's ambassador to the United States, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, a move described by a State Department official as a "reciprocal action." This decision comes after Brazil denied visas last month to two American diplomats who intended to visit before upcoming elections and has also delayed approving President Donald Trump's nominee for ambassador in Brasilia, Daniel Perez.
Despite the visa revocation, Ambassador Viotti is not being expelled from the U.S. State Department officials clarified that she remains in the country but without a valid visa, and her visa would be restored if Brazil approves the U.S. ambassadorial nominee. The U.S. indicated that the decision had been delayed multiple times to give Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva an opportunity to resolve the issues, which he did not do.
The diplomatic tensions have been escalating, marked by previous disputes such as the U.S. reimposing tariffs on Brazil and designating Brazilian gangs as terrorist organizations. Brazil's government rejected the U.S. justification for the visa revocation, calling the claims "false" and asserting that its consideration of Daniel Perez was proceeding according to international diplomatic norms. Brazil also defended its denial of visas to the two U.S. officials, claiming they sought to "meddle" in its elections, an allegation the U.S. called "baseless."
