The U.S. government, led by Marco Rubio in his role as Secretary of State and under the broader policy of the Donald Trump administration, announced on July 18, 2025, that it had revoked the U.S. visas of Brazilian Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, his judicial allies on Brazil’s top court, and their immediate family members. Rubio framed the move as a response to what he called a “political witch‑hunt” by Moraes against former President Jair Bolsonaro, and claimed the actions had “created a persecution and censorship complex … that not only violates basic rights of Brazilians, but also extends beyond Brazil’s shores to target Americans.”

The U.S. justification cited sections of the Immigration and Nationality Act allowing visa denials for individuals whose presence “would have serious adverse foreign policy consequences.” The visa revocation and additional sanctions, such as those under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, also targeted Moraes’ wife and companies linked to him.

The response from Brazil was swift and forceful. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and top Brazilian legal officials condemned the visa revocations as “irresponsible,” “arbitrary,” and an infringement on national sovereignty. They asserted that Brazilian judges were simply carrying out their constitutional duties. The friction has deepened a diplomatic rift, coinciding with the U.S.’s earlier imposition of 50 % tariffs on Brazilian exports and signaling a broader geopolitical dispute between Washington and Brasília.