The U.S. State Department revoked the visa of Brazil’s ambassador to Washington Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, outlets reported on Tuesday.
An unnamed senior State Department spokesperson told Reuters that the measure is in response to the Brazilian government’s withholding of formal approval for Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez to serve as the new U.S. ambassador to Brazil. The source claimed that the measure is also in response to Brazil’s recent decision to deny visas to two U.S. officials.
The State Department official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, explained that the measure does not mean that Ambassador Ribeiro Viotti is expelled from American territory, noting that the visa will be restored if the situation is resolved.
“The action was that the visa of a senior diplomat here was revoked or canceled. That is not the same thing as kicking the person out of the country,” the official reportedly said.
“It means that they are here but without a visa, and would have their visa restored if the balance is restored by giving agrément to our chosen ambassadorial nominee,” the source continued.
The developing situation is the latest chapter in a growing diplomatic impasse between the administration of President Donald Trump and the Brazilian government led by radical leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Last month President Trump signed a continuation of the July 2025 executive order declaring Brazil a “national security threat” to the United States. The Lula government denies the accusations in President Trump’s executive order, claiming they are “unsupported” and that Brazil poses no threat to the United States.
President Trump formally nominated Florida House Speaker Daniel Perez on June 1 as the next U.S. ambassador to Brazil. However, the Brazilian government has for weeks withheld the formal diplomatic agrément, or formal approval, effectively preventing Perez from taking up his post.
Additionally, the Brazilian government recently denied visas to two State Department officials on the grounds that the two officials were allegedly part of a “plot” to “meddle” in Brazil’s upcoming October presidential elections. A State Department spokesperson rejected the Brazilian government’s claims as “baseless” in remarks shared with Reuters last week. The spokesperson explained that the two officials planned to visit Brazil as part of a routine visit in line with the statutory mandate of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.
In a note shared with the Brazilian outlet Poder 360, the State Department explained that it maintained constant contact with the Brazilian government for weeks and gave it “every opportunity to do the right thing.” The Brazilian government, the Portuguese-language text reads, “repeatedly delayed decisions and created obstacles.”
“This is not a declaration of persona non grata, although other diplomatic options remain on the table should the Brazilian government continue to stall or refuse to grant agrément,” the text read. “This is a measure of reciprocity. Should the ambassador leave the country, she would need to apply for a new visa.”
“As we have previously stated: President Trump has the right to determine who represents the American people and American interests around the world,” the text continued. “President Trump is assembling an elite diplomatic team — under the ‘America First’ premise — across his administration, subject to the advice and consent of the Senate. We reject any attempt by foreign countries to interfere in our internal processes.”
The Brazilian government rejected the State Department’s reported decision in a note shared with local outlets. According to the state-owned news agency Agência Brasil, the Lula administration claimed that the allegations that it is delaying granting the approval to Daniel Perez as U.S. ambassador to Brasília are “false.” The Brazilian government reportedly claimed Perez’s agrément is still “under review,” affirming there is no rule in the Vienna Convention that stipulates deadlines for granting agrément.
Referring to the refusal to grant visas to the two State Department officials, the Lula administration claimed that the presence of the two U.S. officials “would aim to cast doubt on the Brazilian electoral system.”
“It’s also obvious that there is an unwarranted interest in interfering in the next presidential election,” the Brazilian government reportedly claimed, per Agência Brasil.
“Today’s decision is not an isolated incident. It is part of a deliberate escalation of hostile measures against Brazil, driven by ideological reasons incompatible with a bilateral partnership that has always been grounded in mutual respect,” the Portuguese-language statement read in part.
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
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