US revokes Brazilian ambassador’s visa amid diplomatic dispute

The United States has revoked the visa of Brazil's ambassador to Washington, escalating a diplomatic dispute between the two nations. A State Department official confirmed the decision on Tuesday, stating that the US believes Brazil owes a "prompt and positive answer" regarding the approval of a new US ambassador.

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We think the government of Brazil owes us a prompt and positive answer to our request.

While the visa revocation does not equate to an expulsion of the diplomat, it marks a significant diplomatic escalation. This latest spat follows Brazil's denial of visas to two US officials last month. Brazil cited concerns about the "risk of political exploitation" for denying the visas, while the US officials stated their intent was to discuss "election integrity, religious freedom and freedom of expression."

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The visa of a senior diplomat here was revoked or canceled.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 US official dismissed any suggestion of a "ploy" to undermine Brazil's elections as a "baseless lie." The visa denials occurred amid renewed, unfounded claims by Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro about the insecurity of the country's electronic voting system. These claims echo those made by former President Jair Bolsonaro, who falsely alleged widespread fraud in the 2020 US election. Jair Bolsonaro himself was later barred from running for office and convicted for plotting a coup.

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Any insinuation of a ‘ploy’ to undermine a democratic nation’s election is a baseless lie.