Brazil weighs response as US orders expulsion of police attaché

Brazil may take reciprocal measures following the expulsion of a Brazilian federal police attaché from the United States, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said, signaling a potential escalation in diplomatic tensions, Reuters reports.

The US embassy in Brasília was not immediately available for comment.

Speaking to reporters in Hannover, Germany, Lula said he was not fully aware of the details of the case but warned that Brazil would respond if it determined there had been misconduct by US authorities.

“We cannot accept this interference and abuse of authority that some Americans want to exert over Brazil,” he said.

The dispute follows a US government announcement, posted on X, stating that a Brazilian official would be expelled for allegedly being involved in the arrest of former Brazilian federal lawmaker Alexandre Ramagem by US immigration authorities last week.

While the US statement did not name the individual, the US embassy in Brasília later confirmed to Reuters that the official in question was Marcelo Ivo de Carvalho, who serves as Brazil’s federal police attaché in Miami and liaison with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Ramagem was released after a brief detention. He had fled Brazil in September following his conviction for plotting a coup alongside former President Jair Bolsonaro.

Lula indicated that Brazil’s response would depend on whether the expulsion is deemed unjustified, emphasizing concerns over sovereignty and the conduct of US authorities.

By Vafa Guliyeva