Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced late Friday that the United States has revoked the visas of Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, his judicial allies, and their families, citing what he described as a far-reaching campaign of censorship targeting both Brazilians and Americans, The Hill reported.
Rubio, who also serves as President Donald Trump's national security adviser, made the announcement Friday night in a post on X, saying the move was in response to ongoing judicial actions against Brazil's former president, Jair Bolsonaro.
".@POTUS made clear that his administration will hold accountable foreign nationals who are responsible for censorship of protected expression in the United States," Rubio wrote.
"Brazilian Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes's political witch hunt against Jair Bolsonaro created a persecution and censorship complex so sweeping that it not only violates basic rights of Brazilians, but also extends beyond Brazil's shores to target Americans.
"I have therefore ordered visa revocations for Moraes and his allies on the court, as well as their immediate family members, effective immediately," Rubio added.
On Friday, Brazil's Supreme Court issued search warrants and restraining orders against Bolsonaro, banning him from contacting foreign officials over allegations he courted the interference of Trump.
Washington responded by hitting Moraes and unspecified other allies with visa restrictions.
Bolsonaro was banned from contacting foreign officials, using social media, or approaching embassies, according to the decision issued by Moraes, who cited a "concrete possibility" of him fleeing the country. His home was raided by federal police and he had an ankle monitor placed on him.
In an interview with Reuters at his party's headquarters on Friday, Bolsonaro called Moraes a "dictator" and described the latest court orders as acts of "cowardice."
"I feel supreme humiliation," he said, when asked how he felt about wearing the ankle monitor. "I am 70 years old, I was president of the republic for four years."
Last year, Bolsonaro was charged with orchestrating a plot to stay in office despite losing the 2022 election — a plot that the country's top prosecutor says included a plan to poison his opponent, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
In 2023, Bolsonaro was barred from running for office again until 2030 after a panel of judges concluded that he abused his power and cast unfounded doubts on the country's electronic voting system.
Rubio's announcement builds on a hard-line posture adopted by Trump toward Brazil's judiciary. Just last week, Trump threatened a 50% tariff on all Brazilian imports in response to Bolsonaro's prosecution.
Information from Reuters and The Associated Press was used in this report.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.