Section of the Immigration and Nationality Law has already been triggered by the US against Nicaragua businessmen, Russian military and party members who governs North Korea
The device used by the US State Department to cancel the Supreme Court (Supreme Court) visa and its “allies”In court has already been used by the United States as a sanction for citizens of autocratic countries. Its use against citizens of Brazil, a democracy, is uncommon.
The announcement of cancellation of US entry visas of STF ministers and their families was made on Friday (18.Jul.2025) by a message in the X (former Twitter) of, Secretary of State for President Donald Trump (Republican) government. The measure was taken on justification that Brazil practices “censorship” and promotes a “Witch Hunt” against the former president (PL).
The US government resorted to the section “212(a)(3)(C)” (Law of Immigration and Nationality), which deals with Adverse Foreign Policy Impact (Adverse Impact of Foreign Policy) To cancel visas from Nicaragua entrepreneurs involved in illegal immigration, Russian military accused of human rights violation of the Ukraine War and North Kim-unyard’s PTC (PTC) members.
Turning to the device is a prerogative of the State Department. It is a decision of the secretary of the body that commands the US foreign policy, if he considers that “Entry or activities have potentially serious adverse consequences for US foreign policy”. Ice A (PDF – 330 KB).
The Trump administration maintains that the STF’s performance hurts freedom of expression on social networks and directly impacts the performance of the Big Techs, because of orders to remove air content.
For former US State Department Officer Ricardo Zúñiga, the Trump government’s decision to cancel visas from Moraes and “Allies” of the Supreme Court draws attention for the exceptionality. “It is strange to have an act that has repercussions on personal life [dos ministros do Supremo, que é o caso do visto]. Usually these are limited actions to those who work outside the democratic landmarks ”said Zúñiga to Poder360.
Sought by this digital newspaper, the State Department just said the following: “We have nothing more to share on this subject, besides the secretary’s statement [Marco Rubio]“.
Cancellation Notification
As the sanction imposed on Moraes and its “Allies” In the Supreme Court, as Marco Rubio wrote, involves an act of a government against people – and not directly against another government -, there is unlikely to be notified directly to Brazilian diplomatic authorities. Publish or not the names of the sanctioned is a discretionary initiative of the US State Department. But that is not usually done.
STF ministers may eventually be communicated. But they may also have to deal with the ban only when entering the US if they are traveling to the country, such as the Poder360.
The media speculated that the magistrates affected would be these (in alphabetical order): Carmen Lúcia, Cristiano Zanin, Dias Toffoli, Edson Fachin, Flávio Dino, Gilmar Mendes and Roberto Barroso. Only 3 STF magistrates would not be included in this list: André Mendonça, Nunes Marques and Luiz Fux.
The Brazilian media also speculated, without citing official sources clearly or any proof, which would have been included in Marco Rubio’s relationship other Brazilian authorities. In these speculation these people entered: (Director General of the Federal Police), Fábio Schor (Federal Police Delegate), (Attorney General of the Republic), (former STF Minister and current Justice Minister) and (Senator for the PSD of Minas Gerais and former Senate President).
None of these information about who would have lost visa in the US was confirmed by the US State Department.
There are also speculation about family members of STF ministers who study or work in the US and could be deported. It is unlikely to occur in the short term. Roberto Barroso has a son, who works for the Brazilian bank BTG in Miami. There is no official state department information about whether the minister or members of his family would have lost visas in the US.
