US Calls Brazil Ex-Spy Chief Ramagem Illegal
BRAZIL · UNITED STATES
Key Facts
- The country Brazil is Latin America’s largest country, a democracy of about 210 million people whose presidential runoff is on Sunday 25 October.
- Power Index Brazil ranks 1st of 14 in The Rio Times Latin America Power Index, with 75.0 points (October 2026 edition).
- What happened The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) says Alexandre Ramagem, a Brazilian fugitive, overstayed his visa and is an illegal immigrant.
- Who he is Ramagem ran Brazil’s intelligence agency Abin under Jair Bolsonaro and was sentenced to 16 years for the coup attempt.
- The timeline He entered the US on 11 September 2025, was held by immigration agents on 13 April 2026 and was released on 15 April.
- The fallout Washington suspended a Brazilian police officer’s credentials in Miami, and Brazil answered by suspending a US immigration agent in Brasília.
- Why it matters The case tests whether the US will send a Brazilian convict home or let an asylum claim shield him.
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The US Department of Homeland Security says the Ramagem illegal immigrant case is clear: the former head of Brazil’s intelligence agency overstayed his visa. The agency gave its statement to reporters, and Agência Pública published it on Wednesday 21 October.
Alexandre Ramagem fled Brazil in September 2025 after the Supreme Court sentenced him to 16 years for the coup attempt under Jair Bolsonaro. His case lands days before the Brazil election 2026 runoff, between Brazil’s extradition request and a Trump administration focused on deportations.
What the US Government Said About Ramagem
According to Agência Pública, DHS said Ramagem entered the United States legally on 11 September 2025 with permission to stay six months. The agency said he remained after that deadline, which makes him an illegal immigrant.
DHS also stressed that a pending asylum application gives a person no legal status in the United States. For the Ramagem illegal immigrant file, it added that he will receive due process and that illegal foreigners are not welcome under President Donald Trump.
Who Alexandre Ramagem Is
Ramagem led Abin, Brazil’s civilian intelligence agency, under former president Jair Bolsonaro, then served as a federal deputy for Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party (PL). Agência Pública reports that Brazil’s Supreme Court sentenced him to 16 years for the attempted coup.
He left Brazil in September 2025 and travelled through Guyana to the United States, Agência Pública reports. His supporters call the case political persecution, while Brazilian courts treat him as a convicted fugitive.
The April Arrest and the Quick Release
Agents of ICE, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, arrested Ramagem in Orlando on 13 April 2026 for overstaying his visa, Agência Pública reported. He was released on 15 April while his deportation case continues.
Paulo Figueiredo, a Brazilian commentator in the United States who backs Bolsonaro, said Ramagem paid no bail. The reporters found no court petition for his release, and PL leader Sóstenes Cavalcante credited Secretary of State Marco Rubio with speeding it up.
A Diplomatic Row Over Extradition
Brazil’s Justice Ministry says it asked the US State Department for his extradition on 30 December 2025, three months before the arrest. On 20 April the State Department suspended a Brazilian Federal Police liaison officer in Miami who had helped locate Ramagem, Agência Pública reported.
The State Department told that officer to leave the United States. Lula’s government suspended a US immigration officer in Brasília, who left on 22 April, and said Washington never consulted it first.
Why Asylum Is Not a Shield
The Washington Post found that US immigration judges have ordered more than 440,000 asylum seekers removed since Trump returned to power, according to Agência Pública. The American Immigration Council, a Washington research group, found that in late 2025 ICE deported over 14 people from detention for each one it released.
Ramagem’s quick release therefore stands out against that record. The same report describes Luis Galeano, a Nicaraguan journalist held nearly two weeks in Orlando in September until a judge set US$10,000 bail.
What It Means for US Readers
For Americans, the Ramagem illegal immigrant case shows the Trump administration using the same words for a politically connected foreigner as for other visa overstayers. It also shows that the State Department, the immigration agencies and Brazil’s government are not moving in step.
For investors and companies with Brazilian exposure, the dispute adds a diplomatic irritant days before the runoff. The Rio Times has reported on Brazil’s spy agency flagging US pressure and on Eduardo Bolsonaro’s dismissal from the Federal Police.
What Is Not Known
The reports give no date for an immigration court hearing in the Ramagem illegal immigrant case, and it is unclear whether he will be deported. The White House did not respond to the reporters’ request for comment.
Where Ramagem lives now has not been confirmed. Figueiredo, whose consultancy is reported to be assisting him, thanked President Trump on social media after the release.
More: Brazil news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Alexandre Ramagem?
He is a former head of Brazil’s intelligence agency Abin and a former federal deputy. Brazil’s Supreme Court sentenced him to 16 years for the coup attempt under Jair Bolsonaro.
What did the US government say about him?
DHS said he is an illegal immigrant who overstayed a six-month stay, making this a Ramagem illegal immigrant case in its words. It said he is subject to detention and deportation but will receive due process.
Can he be deported to Brazil?
His deportation case is still pending, and DHS says a pending asylum claim gives no legal status. Brazil separately asked for his extradition on 30 December 2025.
Why did Brazil and the US suspend officials?
Washington suspended a Brazilian police liaison in Miami who helped locate Ramagem, and Brazil suspended a US immigration officer in Brasília. Brazil’s Foreign Ministry said the US did not consult it first.
Does this affect travel to Brazil or the US?
Nothing in the reports changes visa rules or travel advice for ordinary visitors. The story concerns one convicted fugitive and a diplomatic dispute.
Sources: Agência Pública and ICIJ (Departamento de imigração dos EUA diz que Ramagem é imigrante ilegal e violou leis), 21 October 2026; Diário do Centro do Mundo (Departamento de imigração dos EUA diz que Ramagem é imigrante ilegal e violou leis), 21 October 2026.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error