Brazil denies visas to US officials amid election interference fears

Brazil denied visas to two US State Department officials ahead of a planned visit to Brasilia. The move deepens a wider US-Brazil clash over the October election, trade and voting credibility.Image used for representational purposes onlyBrazil has denied visas to two US State Department officials who had planned to travel to the country next week, in the latest sign of tensions between the two governments. Brazil's Foreign Ministry said the visas were refused after concerns were raised that the visit could cast doubt on the country's October elections.The development comes amid a wider political clash between President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva and figures close to US President Donald Trump, as Lula prepares to seek re-election against Senator Flvio Bolsonaro. The dispute has also unfolded alongside fresh US tariffs on Brazilian exports and differences over the classification of major Brazilian drug-trafficking groups.The move became public after The Washington Post reported that the Brazilian government believed the two officials wanted to cast doubt on the upcoming election. A spokesperson for Brazil's foreign office said Riley M Barnes, an assistant secretary, and Samuel Samson, a deputy assistant secretary, had requested visas on July 20 and were denied on Friday. He did not disclose the reasons for the decision.Lula is set to face Flvio Bolsonaro in the election. The senator's family has close ties with the Trump administration. Flvio Bolsonaro and his brother Eduardo visited US officials in Washington, including Trump, in late May. Soon after, the Trump administration classified Brazil's biggest drug-trafficking groups, First Command Capital and Red Command, as foreign terrorist organisations, a move opposed by Lula. The Trump administration has also imposed a tariff increase of up to 37.5 per cent on thousands of Brazilian exports, which took effect on Friday. The US government has said Brazil engages in unfair competition practices and does not do enough to stop forced labour. Lula's administration has rejected both accusations and described them as an attempt to influence the election in favour of Senator Bolsonaro.The US State Department said Barnes and Samson had planned to visit Brasilia from July 27 to 30 to meet government officials, religious leaders and others to discuss "election integrity", religious freedom and freedom of expression. In response to a query from The Associated Press, the department called it a routine visit and said that "any insinuation of a ploy to undermine a democratic nation's election is a baseless lie". Former President Jair Bolsonaro has for years questioned Brazil's electronic voting system without providing evidence. He is now serving a 27-year prison sentence at home for an attempted coup. He has long claimed that the voting machines, used for 25 years, are vulnerable to fraud. His son, Flvio Bolsonaro, has recently repeated some of those claims, though he avoided them on Saturday when his Liberal Party confirmed him as its presidential candidate in Sao Paulo.The visa refusal has added to growing strains between Brazil and the US, with the dispute now tied to the coming election, trade measures and long-running arguments over the credibility of Brazil's voting system.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Jul 26, 2026 08:06 IST