Lula says he barred Trump adviser Beattie from entering Brazil
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Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva called for the US to release the visa for Health Minister Alexandre Padilha.
PHOTO: AFP
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BRASILIA - Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on March 13 he had barred US President Donald Trump’s adviser Darren Beattie from entering the country, following his request to visit ex-president Jair Bolsonaro in prison.
Mr Beattie, a critic of Brazil’s government, was appointed by Mr Trump to a senior advisory role monitoring the South American country in February, suggesting relations between the two nations remain delicate.
“That American guy who said he was coming here to visit Jair Bolsonaro was prohibited from visiting, and I forbade him from coming to Brazil until they release the visa for my health minister,” Mr Lula told an event on March 13, without citing Mr Beattie’s name.
The US revoked the visa of Brazil’s Health Minister Alexandre Padilha in August 2025, as part of a broader move by Washington targeting people the US government alleged to have ties to a Cuban program that sends medical workers overseas. At the time, Mr Padilha called such targeting “unreasonable attacks” on the program mentioned by the US.
Brazil’s government revoked Mr Beattie’s visa, the Foreign Relations Ministry confirmed to Reuters, citing “omission and falsification of relevant information regarding the reason for the visit”.
The US embassy in Brazil did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Reuters reported earlier in the day, citing a source, that Mr Beattie’s visa would be revoked.
Lawyers for Bolsonaro had asked the Brazilian Supreme Court to allow Mr Beattie’s visit, but Justice Alexandre de Moraes denied it on March 12.
Bolsonaro, who was a close ally during Mr Trump’s first term, is serving a 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup against Mr Lula, his successor.
In 2025, Mr Trump imposed steep tariffs on Brazilian products as a response to what he called a witch hunt against Bolsonaro. But, months later, Mr Trump appeared to shift his views, calling Mr Lula a “very nice man” and revoking most of the tariffs.
It is unclear if Mr Beattie’s request to visit Bolsonaro signals a new policy shift from the White House, a Brazilian official with knowledge of the Lula administration’s thinking said. REUTERS
