Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s spy chief, who is accused of having plotted a coup attempt to keep his boss in power.
Alexandre Ramagem, Bolsonaro’s intelligence chief, was sentenced in absentia to 16 years in prison in September over his role in the alleged coup attempt, which included plans to assassinate incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Lula told a local outlet on Tuesday that he expects Ramagem to be deported to Brazil.
“I believe Ramagem will come back to Brazil; he has to come back to serve his sentence,” he said.
The arrest came after a detente between President Donald Trump and Lula, who was previously the target of Republicans’ ire. Bolsonaro was a major ally of Trump during his first term and drew frequent parallels with the Brazilian president, who was often referred to in Western media as “Trump of the Tropics.”
Trump spent the first several months of his second term targeting Lula’s government, alleging persecution of Bolsonaro and his supporters. Trump went so far as to target people in Brazil’s government with sanctions.
The two leaders have since reconciled and been on cordial terms, despite Bolsonaro’s imprisonment and allegations of mistreatment. ICE’s arrest of Ramagem, if it ends in his deportation to Brazil, would mark a complete reversal in Trump’s approach to Brazil from last year.
Bolsonaro’s allies, meanwhile, claimed Ramagem’s detention was only the result of a traffic stop and voiced hope that he would be released, Al Jazeera reported. Brazilian Sen. Jorge Seif, an ally of Bolsonaro, said he submitted an appeal to the U.S. embassy on Monday asking for his release.
BOLSONARO ARRESTED DAYS AHEAD OF IMPRISONMENT TO ‘ENSURE PUBLIC ORDER’
“The political persecution against President Bolsonaro, his sons and his allies is now hitting an elected lawmaker in foreign soil,” Seif said. “In our document, we showed all the reasons that justify and defend the concession of political asylum to Ramagem and his family.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to ICE for comment.