Diplomatic friction between Brazil and the United States has intensified after Washington expelled a senior Brazilian police liaison officer based in Miami who coordinated between Brazilian authorities and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The U.S. State Department justified the move by accusing the officer of attempting to manipulate the American immigration system to pursue what it called a "political witch hunt" on U.S. soil — a reference to Brazil's efforts to secure the extradition of Alexandre Ramagem, a convicted former head of Brazil's intelligence agency (ABIN) who fled to Florida and requested political asylum after being sentenced to 16 years in prison for his role in an attempted coup alongside ex-president Jair Bolsonaro. Ramagem was briefly detained by ICE in Orlando last week but released within 48 hours, crediting "the highest levels of the Trump administration" for his freedom. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, speaking from Lisbon during an official visit to Europe, warned that Brazil would respond "in kind" if U.S. authorities had abused their power, adding that his government would not accept foreign interference — a thinly veiled reference to the Bolsonaro camp's efforts to use its ties to the Trump administration to pressure the Brazilian judiciary ahead of a closely fought October election.