The United States government has ordered a high-ranking Brazilian law enforcement official to leave the country, marking a significant escalation in diplomatic tensions between Washington and Brasília. The expulsion appears to be a direct response to what U.S. officials describe as an attempt to manipulate American immigration procedures for political purposes.
Key Details of the Expulsion:
- The Official: Marcelo Ivo de Carvalho, a Brazilian Federal Police attache stationed in Miami. He served as the primary liaison between the Brazilian government and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
- The Accusation: The U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs stated that it would not allow foreign officials to “game” the U.S. immigration system or use American territory to conduct “political witch hunts.”
- The Context: The move is tied to the recent detention of Alexandre Ramagem, Brazil’s former intelligence director and a close ally of former President Jair Bolsonaro. Ramagem, who was convicted in Brazil for his involvement in a 2023 coup attempt, had fled to the U.S. in late 2025. He was briefly detained by ICE last week before being released.
Diplomatic Fallout:
The U.S. embassy in Brazil confirmed that Carvalho was the official referred to in the State Department’s order. While the official statement did not explicitly name Ramagem, the timing suggests that Carvalho may have been overstepping his role to facilitate the pursuit or detention of political exiles on U.S. soil without following formal legal channels.
This expulsion has already drawn a sharp rebuke from Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who characterized the U.S. move as an “abuse of authority” and hinted at potential retaliatory measures against American officials in Brazil. The incident underscores the friction between the current U.S. administration and the Lula government regarding the legal pursuit of Bolsonaro-era figures.