United States Revokes Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti Visa Amid Dispute With Brazil Over Daniel Perez

Visa Revoked, Standoff Escalates

The United States revoked the visa of Brazil’s ambassador to the United States, Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti, escalating a diplomatic dispute between Washington and Brasília on Tuesday, August 4. The State Department said the visa would be reinstated immediately if Brazil grants diplomatic approval, known as agrément, for President Trump’s nominee for U.S. ambassador to Brazil, Daniel Perez.

Brazil withheld approval for Perez, who currently serves as Republican speaker of the Florida House of Representatives and is a close ally of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, preventing him from taking up the post. A senior department official said the dispute comes “in the context of several other diplomatic disputes that have developed over the last year or so,” and described Washington’s position that “the government of Brazil owes us a prompt and positive answer” on the ambassadorial request.

Reporting for this sectionCBS News

Brazil Denounces, U.S. Says Reciprocal

Brazil condemned the State Department’s move, saying the “justifications offered for the decision are false,” and described the action as part of a “deliberate escalation of hostile measures against Brazil, driven by ideological motives.”

The Brazilian presidency said, “Today’s decision is not an isolated incident. It forms part of a deliberate escalation of hostile measures against Brazil,” while the State Department official insisted the cancelation “is not the same thing as kicking the person out of the country.”

The U.S. framing tied the visa revocation to Brazil’s delay in granting agrément for Daniel Perez, with the senior official calling it a “reciprocal action” to what they described as Brazil’s delay.

The dispute also followed Brazil’s earlier decision in July to deny visas to two U.S. State Department officials, which Washington said was a routine engagement tied to “election integrity, religious freedom and freedom of expression.”

Reporting for this sectionCNN

What Happens Next

The State Department said the visa revocation would be immediately suspended if Brazil grants its approval to Perez, and that the ambassador’s visa would need reinstatement if the situation is resolved. The U.S. officials also said that if Viotti leaves the United States, she would need to reapply for a visa, while the visa would be restored if Brazil approves Perez.

NBC News reported that the Brazilian government said the justifications were “false,” and noted that the U.S. request remains under review, as the dispute continues ahead of Brazil’s October election. At the same time, the Brazilian presidency office said the decision “forms part of a deliberate escalation of hostile measures against Brazil, driven by ideological motives,” and the State Department official warned that additional diplomatic options remain on the table if Brazil continues to delay or refuse to approve the U.S. ambassador nominee.

Reporting for this sectionNBC News