In a dramatic move underscoring President Donald Trump’s uncompromising stance on free speech and political persecution, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced late Friday the immediate revocation of U.S. visas for Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, several of his fellow judges, and their immediate families.

The sanctions come amid what Rubio described as a “political witch hunt” orchestrated by Brazil’s top court to silence former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and his supporters.

“[President Trump] made clear that his administration will hold accountable foreign nationals who are responsible for censorship of protected expression in the United States,” Rubio posted on X, formerly Twitter.

“Brazilian Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes’s political witch hunt against Jair Bolsonaro created 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,” he added.

Rubio confirmed that the visa revocations would take effect immediately for Moraes, his judicial allies, and their close family members.

The U.S. action followed a series of aggressive judicial measures in Brazil that many critics have denounced as politically motivated. On Friday, Justice Moraes ordered restraining measures against Bolsonaro, including a ban on social media use, and even placed an ankle monitor on the 70-year-old conservative icon. Police also raided Bolsonaro’s residence, as reported by The Hill.

Moraes justified the measures by suggesting Bolsonaro could attempt to flee the country — a claim the former president flatly denied.

Speaking to Reuters, Bolsonaro expressed outrage at the treatment: “I feel supreme humiliation. I am 70 years old, I was president of the republic for four years.”

Bolsonaro has been under legal siege since his contested loss in Brazil’s 2022 election to far-left President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Earlier this year, Bolsonaro and several of his political allies were indicted over claims of plotting a so-called “coup” — a charge his supporters say is nothing more than leftist retribution. He has since been banned from holding public office until 2030.

President Trump, standing firmly behind Bolsonaro, recently warned Brazil’s government that it would face severe consequences for its political crackdown. Just days ago, Trump threatened to impose a 50 percent tariff on all imports from Brazil in retaliation for the persecution.

Meanwhile, in a major foreign policy victory for the Trump administration, Venezuela released 10 wrongfully detained American citizens and permanent residents Friday as part of a three-nation deal involving the U.S. and El Salvador.

The agreement, which included the return of over 250 Venezuelan migrants from El Salvador, was brokered with assistance from Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, a close Trump ally. It delivers on President Trump’s pledge to repatriate Americans held hostage abroad — a promise previous administrations repeatedly failed to keep.

“Every wrongfully detained American in Venezuela is now free and back in our homeland,” Rubio said, praising Bukele for his key role.

Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro celebrated the deal as “a day of blessings and good news for Venezuela,” calling it “the perfect day.”

At the core of the agreement were more than 250 Venezuelan nationals previously detained in El Salvador’s infamous Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) — a prison built to house the country’s most violent criminals. Many of the detainees were suspected affiliates of the deadly Tren de Aragua gang.

The Trump administration had earlier paid El Salvador $6 million to detain the migrants. After invoking the Alien Enemies Act — a centuries-old law allowing the removal of nationals from hostile regimes — Trump fast-tracked deportation proceedings, sparking a legal battle that eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court.

But in the end, Trump got results: Americans are home, and U.S. immigration laws are being enforced.