Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced Friday that his administration has canceled the visa of a United States State Department official in what he described as a retaliatory action following last year’s U.S. visa restrictions on Brazilian government officials.
The visa cancellation targets Darren Beattie and stems from actions taken in August by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who revoked and limited visas for certain Brazilian officials that Washington accused of connections to a Cuban medical program that deploys doctors internationally.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes blocked Beattie’s access Thursday to the Brasilia detention facility where former President Jair Bolsonaro is being held.
“That American fellow who said he had come here to visit Jair Bolsonaro was forbidden to do so,” Lula stated, explaining that Beattie will remain banned from Brazil until visa privileges are restored for Brazil’s health minister and his family members.
Justice Moraes, who handed down a 27-year prison sentence to Bolsonaro for orchestrating a coup attempt in 2023, noted in his decision that Beattie had applied for a visa claiming he would participate in the Brazil–US Critical Minerals Forum held Wednesday in São Paulo.
The court document references the Brazilian foreign ministry’s concern that Beattie’s planned meeting with Bolsonaro might constitute “undue interference.” The 80-year-old Lula is seeking reelection this year, with Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, son of the imprisoned far-right former leader, anticipated to be his primary challenger in his campaign for a fourth presidential term.
A Brazilian government representative informed The Associated Press Friday that officials revoked Beattie’s visa due to “the omission of information and lies about the purpose of the visit upon his visa request.”
The official requested anonymity because they lacked authorization to publicly address the issue.
The White House has not responded to Lula’s action or the Brazilian Supreme Court’s decision.
Lula has consistently expressed interest in meeting with Trump in Washington this month to address tariff issues, security partnerships and additional matters, though no meeting date has been confirmed.
According to his State Department biography, Beattie joined the agency “from the private sector, where he worked as a media entrepreneur and political strategist.” His government experience includes roles as a White House speechwriter and policy advisor.
