The administration revoked the visa of Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti to signal diplomatic friction with Brazil
The administration announced the visa revocation of Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, Brazil's ambassador to the United States, as a reciprocal action for Brazil's delay in granting diplomatic approval to Daniel Perez. While the administration did not declare Viotti as persona non-grata, the visa will be reinstated immediately if Brazil provides the requested agrément for Perez, who was nominated by President Trump. Brazil's government has criticized the move, labeling the US justifications as false and accusing the administration of ideological motives. The dispute stems from Brazil's previous refusal to grant visas to two US State Department officials, whom Brazil claimed were attempting to interfere in the country's domestic elections. The administration dismissed these claims as baseless, maintaining that the officials' visit was a routine engagement. The diplomatic rift is further complicated by recent tariffs on Brazilian imports and the designation of Brazilian gangs as terrorist organizations. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has criticized these unilateral measures, while the user-friendly voting system in Brazil remains a point of contention with the right-wing candidate Flávio Bolsonaro.