The United States suspended consular services at its diplomatic missions in Brazil on Friday, two days before a closely fought presidential election, citing security concerns it didn’t specify. The notice told U.S. citizens seeking emergency assistance not to come to the Embassy, the Consulates or other U.S. diplomatic facilities. It gave no end date for the suspension.
The shutdown came amid a widening diplomatic rift between the Trump administration and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s government. New U.S. tariffs and ideological clashes, including over organized crime, have marked the dispute. Polls showed Lula, a leftist, practically tied with right-wing challenger Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump ally.
Diplomatic Power and the Vote
Brazil’s first-round presidential election was scheduled for Sunday. The result could determine whether Latin America’s largest country follows others in the region in shifting to the political right. A second vote was scheduled for Oct. 25.
There had been no violence in the run-up to the election. Brazil was nevertheless on edge partly because of fears that President Trump would try to influence the outcome. Trump hadn’t openly endorsed a candidate, but his administration had subtly supported Mr. Bolsonaro, according to the account of the campaign in the base report.
Mr. Bolsonaro’s father lost the previous election to Mr. Lula and was later convicted and placed under house arrest for plotting a coup. Trump tried last year to help the former president avoid conviction. That effort made the United States a hero to the Brazilian right. American flags had become a staple at the younger Mr. Bolsonaro’s rallies.
The State Department said the suspension was a security measure. “The Trump Administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans,” it said in an emailed statement Friday morning. “We are working closely with our Brazilian counterparts to address the security concerns.” The department didn’t explain what those concerns were. It also didn’t say how long services would remain suspended.
Tariffs and Cooperation
The diplomatic dispute has also affected official relations between the two governments. In July, the Brazilian government blocked a U.S. delegation from traveling to the country. In August, the Trump administration revoked the visa of Brazil’s top diplomat in the United States.
The countries have a long history of jointly investigating international crimes, including fraud and trafficking. Experts said that cooperation had been crucial in fighting Latin American drug gangs. The dispute over organized crime therefore sits alongside a working relationship that officials and experts have described as important to cross-border investigations.
U.S. citizens seeking emergency assistance couldn’t access the diplomatic facilities named in the notice, while the election campaign continued under heightened political tension. The stated security concern remains unspecified. The administration’s public explanation was limited to its statement that it was working with Brazilian counterparts.
The confrontation now includes the election’s competing political camps, U.S. tariffs, visa restrictions, a blocked delegation and reduced consular services. The diplomatic missions’ suspension began Friday; voters were scheduled to cast ballots in the first round on Sunday. The source doesn’t identify a specific threat, give a duration for the closure, or report any violence in the campaign’s run-up.