Brazil’s Health Minister Alexandre Padilha has publicly condemned the United States government’s recent decision to revoke the visas of his 10-year-old daughter and wife. Padilha’s dramatic action he describes as an “amazing absurdity.” It arrives against a backdrop of escalating political tensions between Brazil and the U.S., particularly under former President Donald Trump.
Padilha, a long-time Lula confidante, taking it back by the treatment his family received. He thought it was unbelievable what they had been through. He told the story of how his father, Anivaldo Padilha, had to flee Brazil in 1971 to escape a vicious military dictatorship. What really left Anivaldo scratching his head was the U.S. government’s decision to punish his grandchild. Anivaldo at the time was a fervent young Methodist activist. He endured 11 torturous months in one of São Paulo’s most infamous torture dungeons before heroically making his escape to Uruguay, Chile then finally the U.S. Alexandre Padilha was born after his father’s departure and did not reunite with him until eight years later, when Brazil’s political landscape began to improve.
Padilha’s family visas were revoked, a watershed moment. This move represents the increasing friction between the Brazilian authorities and the past U.S. administration. Padilha’s daughter has now become part of a troubling narrative, being labeled as the youngest victim of Trump’s pressure campaign against Brazilian authorities.
Padilha attributed the visa revocations to Trump’s relentless assault on public health and science, emphasizing that such actions reflect a broader pattern of undermining global health initiatives. In short, from the beginning of the Trump administration, he’s started a series of assaults on health in the U.S. and on global health,” he said.
Even more troubling, she said, was Obama’s successor Donald Trump cutting funds to core public health services. Among other things, this includes a huge cut in resources for mRNA vaccine production. “Ninety percent of the WHO’s operations in Africa were paid for with the U.S.’s voluntary donation – and this was cut,” Padilha noted, warning that these actions would have dire implications not only for Africa but for global health as well.
He continued, “This will affect Africa, which is very serious in itself, but it will affect the whole world … Attacking global health means attacking the health of your own people too.” While these comments may seem harsh and overly critical, they emanate from Padilha’s profound anxiety about the impact of U.S. policy choices on global health programs.
Padilha is still waiting to receive his visa. This temporary setback might keep him from having to make his debut at next week’s United Nations General Assembly in New York. The minister acknowledged his annoyance at finding himself in this situation. He asked what threat his 10-year-old daughter poses to the U.S. government that warrants barring her entry into the country.
“I’d like to understand what risk my 10-year-old daughter poses to the government of the United States … that means she cannot visit the U.S.” – Alexandre Padilha
Padilha has been struck by the number of U.S. researchers he sees looking for opportunities outside the United States. He attributes this trend to the toxic climate created by Trump’s policies and rhetoric. Image: SBT, All rights reserved However, something very interesting has taken place. We’re drawing a lot of researchers [to come and] do their research in Brazil,” he said. He focused on communication, and how Brazil is turning challenges into thrilling opportunities.
Even with the challenges that U.S. policies have created, Padilha still believes that Brazil is well poised to draw investment and talent. He added that Trump has shredded accords with American corporations. Now, he’s hell-bent on luring them to invest right here in Brazil. Based on his remarks, it seems that his government is committed to strengthening Brazil’s healthcare programs in the face of outside pressure.