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Washington has stepped up its response to foreign censorship, placing Brazil’s top judicial figures under new travel restrictions.
The US State Department has officially barred Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes and several of his colleagues, along with their immediate families, from entering the United States.
This follows Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s May announcement of a new visa policy targeting officials overseas who infringe on Americans’ digital rights.
Rubio announced the sweeping visa revocations against de Moraes and his judicial allies, citing actions that he said infringe on protected American speech and civil liberties.
Rubio stated that the administration will “hold accountable foreign nationals who are responsible for censorship of protected expression in the United States.” He described Moraes’s actions as a “political witch hunt against Jair Bolsonaro” and accused the justice of establishing “a persecution and censorship complex so sweeping that it not only violates basic rights of Brazilians, but also extends beyond Brazil’s shores to target Americans.”
As a result, Rubio declared, “I have therefore ordered visa revocations for Moraes and his allies on the court, as well as their immediate family members, effective immediately.”
The new travel restrictions come amid escalating tensions over Brazil’s treatment of American social media companies. President Donald Trump has inserted himself into the dispute, issuing a stern warning to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in a July 9, 2025, letter that connects censorship to economic retaliation.
Trump specifically condemned what he described as “SECRET and UNLAWFUL Censorship Orders” targeting platforms like Rumble and X, alleging that the Brazilian Supreme Court has applied pressure through threats of massive fines and market exclusion.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes has been at the forefront of the crackdown.
Earlier this year, Moraes ordered the suspension of Rumble after it refused to block the account of Allan dos Santos, a Brazilian commentator residing in the US.
Months prior, from August through October 2024, the court had also moved against X, instructing internet providers to cut off access nationwide.
The platform faced penalties for failing to remove targeted accounts and for not appointing a local legal representative. Responding to these measures, Elon Musk declared, “Free speech is the bedrock of democracy and an unelected pseudo‑judge in Brazil is destroying it for political purposes.”
Trump’s tariff plan, set to take effect on August 1, 2025, outlines a sweeping 50% duty on all Brazilian imports, with added enforcement against goods rerouted through third countries.
By anchoring the policy in the defense of American constitutional values, Trump extends the dispute beyond Brazil, signaling to other governments, particularly in Europe, that US trade policy may be wielded in defense of digital expression.
Among the most vocal opponents of de Moraes is Paulo Figueiredo, a Brazilian journalist living in exile in the United States, who has called for targeted sanctions against Moraes.
Figueiredo accuses the justice of using the judiciary to impose censorship, freeze assets, revoke passports, and eliminate voices from public platforms without due process.
Once a high-profile commentator on Jovem Pan radio, Figueiredo was effectively shut out of Brazil’s media following the unrest of January 8, 2023, and has since broadcast from Florida, where he continues to speak out against what he views as authoritarian overreach.
Figueiredo’s advocacy has gained visibility in Washington, including through testimony before the US House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee, where he described a system in which Moraes acts without oversight or transparency.
He claims that the justice uses secret proceedings to justify sweeping actions against journalists, tech companies, and even foreign nationals, portraying criticism as a threat to democratic institutions.
If you’re tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, subscribe to Reclaim The Net.
The post US Imposes Travel Bans on Brazil’s Justice Alexandre de Moraes and Allies Over Censorship Demands appeared first on Reclaim The Net.
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Author: Dan Frieth
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