Tensions between Brazil and the United States deepened on Tuesday after President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva revealed that Washington had revoked the visa of Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski.
The move, which the US State Department has yet to confirm, comes amid ongoing fallout from the trial of former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, accused of plotting to remain in power after losing the 2022 election.
“I want to express my solidarity and the government’s solidarity with my colleague Ricardo Lewandowski faced with the irresponsible gesture of the United States in revoking his visa,” Lula told ministers during a cabinet meeting in Brasília.
The revocation is part of a wider campaign of sanctions announced under President Donald Trump’s administration, which has taken a hardline stance against Brazilian officials involved in Bolsonaro’s coup trial.
In addition to Lewandowski, Judge Alexandre de Moraes who is overseeing the case and several other Supreme Court justices have reportedly had their visas revoked.
Trump has also imposed 50% tariffs on dozens of Brazilian imports and sanctioned judicial figures, branding the proceedings against Bolsonaro a “witch hunt.”
Calling the measures “unacceptable,” Lula condemned what he described as an attack on Brazil’s sovereignty.
He and several cabinet members appeared at the meeting wearing caps embroidered with the slogan: “Brazil belongs to Brazilians.”
“These attitudes are unacceptable, not only against the minister but against all Supreme Court justices, against any Brazilian figure,” Lula said, adding that the sanctions were partly driven by intense lobbying in Washington by Bolsonaro’s son, Eduardo Bolsonaro.
Lula denounced Eduardo’s actions as “one of the worst betrayals the country has suffered.”
Dubbed the “Trump of the Tropics,” Bolsonaro faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted of attempting to overturn the October 2022 election result.
He has denied wrongdoing, insisting the trial is politically motivated and aimed at blocking his 2026 presidential comeback bid.
Bolsonaro, currently under house arrest, is awaiting a Supreme Court verdict expected early next month.
Prosecutors have requested tighter surveillance of his residence, warning that he poses a potential flight risk.
Reports last week revealed that Bolsonaro drafted an asylum request to Argentina’s right-wing President Javier Milei shortly after the coup probe began.
In the request, Bolsonaro claimed he was the target of political persecution.
The US has not yet issued a formal statement on the revocation of Lewandowski’s visa.
However, the move has triggered criticism from Brazil’s government and is likely to strain relations further at a time when Lula has been seeking to project Brazil as a stabilizing force in Latin America.
Regional analysts say the sanctions risk deepening polarization in Brazil while complicating Lula’s foreign policy agenda, which has focused on strengthening ties with both Western democracies and emerging economies.
