In a significant diplomatic move, the U.S. government has requested that Marcelo Ivo de Carvalho, a Brazilian security attaché based in Miami, leave the country.
Key Details of the Incident:
- The Allegation: The U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs indicated that the decision stems from efforts to prevent foreign officials from “gaming” the American immigration system. The U.S. maintains that foreign personnel cannot use their positions to bypass formal extradition processes or to conduct political persecution on U.S. soil.
- The Context: The move follows the recent brief detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of Alexandre Ramagem, the former head of Brazilian intelligence.
- The Backstory: Ramagem, a close ally of former President Jair Bolsonaro, fled to the United States in September 2024 after being convicted in Brazil for his involvement in a plot to overturn the 2022 election results.
- Official Stance: While the U.S. Embassy in Brazil confirmed the request for de Carvalho’s departure, the State Department emphasized that the U.S. will not allow its territory to be used as a base for foreign officials to subvert legal legal channels or target political opponents.
This expulsion highlights growing tensions regarding how political figures from the Bolsonaro administration have used the U.S. as a refuge to avoid legal consequences in their home country.