Lula considers expelling US agents after order for PF delegate to leave

The day before, delegate Marcelo Ivo de Carvalho was informed that he had to leave the country for allegedly “circumventing formal extradition requests and extending political persecutions” in North American territory. Sources familiar with the case say that the Federal Police and the Brazilian government were taken by surprise with the decision. The expectation is that it will arrive in Brazil by the end of the day.

“I was informed this morning, I think that if there was American abuse in relation to our police officer, we will do reciprocity with his in Brazil. There is no conversation. In other words, we want things to happen in the most correct way possible, but we cannot accept this interference and this abuse of authority that some North American people want to have in relation to Brazil”, Lula told journalists in Hannover, Germany, where he is on an official agenda.

Together with Lula, Minister Mauro Vieira, of Foreign Affairs, stated that there has not yet been an official confirmation about the expulsion and that the measure “has no basis.

“The Federal Police delegate who is in Miami works together with the American authorities, he is there precisely for that purpose, and this function is based on a memorandum of understanding between the Brazilian Federal Police and the American authorities. Therefore, everyone knew and worked together. We are awaiting clarification from the American authorities on the reason for this measure taken”, he pointed out.

The director general of the Federal Police, Andrei Rodrigues, reinforced that the agent has been on a mission in the United States for more than two years and that he works to identify Brazilian fugitives.

“Carrying out police cooperation activities as we do with 34 countries. Now (we) will formally wait for some clarification and, based on that, we can adopt any measure”, he added.

Alckmin adopts caution

Shortly afterwards, at an event in Brasília, vice-president Geraldo Alckmin (PSB) preferred to adopt a more cautious tone and stated that the Brazilian government is still learning about the expulsion to decide how it will react.

“This is a decision by the North American government, we will wait. (…) Brazil always has the logic of reciprocity, but we will wait”, he said, pointing out that he still had no official information about the expulsion of the Federal Police chief.

Sources familiar with the matter stated that the authority is also still investigating the circumstances of the United States government’s decision and that it will have a closed meeting with the delegate as soon as he arrives in Brazil, possibly by the end of the afternoon.

How was the expulsion

The order for the delegate’s departure was released by the United States government’s Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs. Without naming names, the statement accused a Brazilian official of trying to “circumvent formal extradition requests” to promote “political persecution” within American territory.

“No foreigner can manipulate our immigration system to circumvent formal extradition requests and extend political persecution to United States territory. Today, we ask that the Brazilian official in question leaves the country for trying to do this”, says the official note published on a social network.

Delegate Marcelo Ivo de Carvalho, who worked in Miami with the United States Immigration and Customs Control Service (ICE), was assigned to the role in March 2023, with the mission of collaborating in the location and arrest of Brazilians wanted by the courts.

The mission’s initial mandate was two years, but it was extended until August this year by decision of the Brazilian government. Even so, according to official information, the Federal Police was not formally notified by the United States about the agent’s decision to leave. Itamaraty, in turn, chose not to comment on the case so far.

Lula intensified criticism of Trump

The expulsion of the Brazilian Federal Police chief is just one of several recent episodes of Lula’s strong criticism of US President Donald Trump, and amid preparations for an official visit by the PT member to Washington.

The trip should have taken place in March, but was postponed without a defined date due to the outbreak of the war between the States and Israel against Iran. There was the expectation that it could take place this April, but the progress of the conflict froze the negotiations.

In the meantime, Lula intensified his criticism of Trump, stating that the North American leader acts like an “emperor of the world” who “thinks that, by email or Twitter, he can tax products, punish countries, and wage war.”