Brazilian Politics and International Diplomacy Unfold

Brazilian police raided the home of former President Jair Bolsonaro and enforced a Supreme Court ruling that he wear an electronic ankle tag, as he is being accused of plotting to overturn the 2022 presidential election results. Bolsonaro denies the coup charges.

A Brazilian court has ordered former President Jair Bolsonaro to wear an ankle tag and imposed a curfew due to concerns he may flee while standing trial for allegedly plotting a coup to prevent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office in 2023. Bolsonaro denies any wrongdoing and has been banned from social media and from communicating with his son, Eduardo, and foreign diplomats. The court also ordered 24-hour surveillance on Bolsonaro. The US President Donald Trump has threatened steep tariffs on Brazilian goods in an attempt to quash the case, prompting Lula to vow to match any tariffs imposed.

Brazilian police searched the home and political headquarters of former President Jair Bolsonaro after the country's Supreme Court issued warrants and restraining orders, including prohibiting him from contacting foreign officials, using social media, and approaching embassies, and ordering him to wear an ankle monitor. Bolsonaro has been forbidden from leaving home between 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. and is prohibited from contacting his son, Eduardo. The searches and restraining orders were carried out due to concerns that Bolsonaro may try to flee.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced visa restrictions on Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes and his immediate family members after Moraes issued search warrants and restraining orders against former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. Rubio criticized the move as a "political witch hunt" against Bolsonaro, saying it violates basic rights of Brazilians and extends to target Americans. Bolsonaro is on trial before Brazil's Supreme Court on charges of plotting a coup and was prohibited from contacting foreign officials, using social media, or approaching embassies. The US President Donald Trump has also weighed in, announcing a 50% tariff on goods from Brazil and calling for an immediate end to Bolsonaro's trial, claiming it is an "unjust system."

El Salvador has repatriated around 250 Venezuelan migrants in exchange for the release of 10 US nationals held in Venezuela. The Venezuelans were deported from the US to El Salvador earlier this year and were being held in a maximum-security prison. The exchange was facilitated by El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, who has a close relationship with US President Donald Trump. The US nationals released included a former Navy SEAL, and the deal was the result of negotiations between the US, El Salvador, and Venezuela. The US administration is still working on releasing dozens of political prisoners held by Venezuela's government.

The US, El Salvador, and Venezuela have conducted a prisoner swap, resulting in the release of 10 Americans from Venezuelan detention. The swap involved El Salvador returning 252 Venezuelans who were deported from the US to a Salvadoran prison earlier this year, allegedly members of the Tren de Aragua gang. Among the released Americans was Wilbert Joseph Castaneda, a former Navy SEAL detained in Venezuela last year. The Venezuelan government also released dozens of people described as Venezuelan political prisoners and detainees as part of the deal. The prisoner swap was described as "humanitarian in nature" and was facilitated by the Trump administration, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio crediting President Trump's leadership and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele's cooperation.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro visited Haiti for the second time this year to show support as gang violence surges in the Caribbean country. Petro announced the opening of a Colombian embassy in Haiti and pledged to help strengthen its security by training Haitian officers and collaborating on bilateral projects. The visit comes as judges in Haiti continue to interrogate 17 former Colombian soldiers accused of killing President Jovenel Moïse in 2021. Haiti is struggling with gang violence, with at least 4,864 people killed and 1.3 million displaced in recent years.