MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

US revokes visas of De Moraes and his family

De Moraes' witch hunt against Bolsonaro “extends beyond Brazil's borders,” Rubio insisted

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered the visas of Brazilian Supreme Federal Court (STF) Justice Alexandre De Moraes and his family revoked following the magistrate's latest ruling regarding former President Jair Bolsonaro, whom he placed under house arrest with a tracking device around his ankle.

Rubio justified the measure by stating that De Moraes' “political witch hunt” against Bolsonaro has created a “persecution and censorship complex” that infringes upon the basic rights of Brazilians and extends its negative effects to Americans.

“The political witch hunt by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre De Moraes against Jair Bolsonaro has created a persecution and censorship complex so widespread that it not only violates the basic rights of Brazilians, but also extends beyond Brazil's borders, affecting Americans. Therefore, I have ordered the revocation of the visas of Moraes and his allies in the court, as well as their close family members, with immediate effect,” Rubio said.

The State Department cited Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, which allows for rendering inadmissible individuals whose entry would be “detrimental to the foreign policy of the United States.”

This development follows a statement from the White House to CNN, where Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly conveyed President Donald Trump's belief that Bolsonaro and his supporters are “under attack from an armed judicial system.” Trump considers Bolsonaro a “good man who loves the Brazilian people” and views the recent Federal Police operation against him as a “witch hunt that should not be happening.”

The Federal Police operation, authorized by Justice De Moraes, involved search and seizure warrants at Bolsonaro's residence and the Liberal Party (PL) headquarters in Brasília, in addition to precautionary measures.