US suspends consular services in Brazil due to security concerns

The U.S. halted consular services in Brazil Friday due to rising security concerns ahead of the country’s presidential election on Sunday.

“Consular Services in the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Brazil will be suspended starting today, October 2 due to security concerns,” the U.S. Embassy in Brazil wrote in a security alert Thursday.

The shutdown comes after Brazil’s Federal Police announced on Friday it served two ‌search and seizure warrants in Sao Paulo and near ​Brasilia to investigate “acts that ​could endanger US diplomatic ​facilities” in Brazil, according to Reuters .

No evidence or suspects have been identified to back up the risks law enforcement initially identified, federal police added.

President Trump has not formally endorsed a candidate in the Brazilian presidential election but has lashed out at the country with tariffs in retaliation for the trial of his political ally: former right-wing, populist President Jair Bolsonaro.

The former Brazilian leader was convicted in September 2025 on charges of inciting a coup to stay in power.

Trump has recently extended favor to Bolsonaro’s son Flávio, one of 13 candidates running in the October election. Trump welcomed Bolsonaro into the Oval Office in May before he designated Brazil’s two biggest drug gangs as terrorist groups.

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva — an adversary of Trump and running for his fourth term — condemned the move and stated at the time it was unacceptable interference in the country’s internal affairs.

Trump told reporters Thursday he was watching the election “very closely,” calling Brazil “a very important country.”

“It’s a very important election,” he said.

On Wednesday, officials from Abin, Brazil’s spy agency, “confirmed the existence ‌of interference from the United States as well as Russia,” according to Reuters , citing a report of the meetings compiled by an attendee. Alleged U.S. interference ranged “from lawfare to interference that is openly acknowledged,” Abin officials wrote in the report.

The U.S. also imposed 25 percent tariffs on Brazil in July over “unfair trade practices” that came after a yearlong investigation initiated in the aftermath of a spat between Trump and Lula.

Despite the tariffs, Trump unveiled in September his plan to tackle rising grocery prices — 300,000 metric tons of imported tariff-free beef from Brazil and Argentina.

He told reporters that inspectors were already conducting quality checks and the beef was “very clean” and “very good.”

The White House further defended the decision after a report that a Brazilian billionaire influenced it. The Wall Street Journal reported at the time that Trump met with Joesley Batista, who shares control of JBS, the world’s largest meatpacker, a day before the announcement.