The United States government announced, this Monday (17), the change of the head of the Office of Western Hemisphere Affairs, a body that works in diplomatic relations with Latin American countries. The new secretary is the businessman of Argentine descent and operating in Virginia, Juan Pablo Segura.
He replaced the diplomat with more than 50 years of career, Michael Kozak, who had been on an interim basis since January 2025, and led the visa revocation of the Brazilian ambassador in Washington, Maria Luiza Viotti.
A member of the Republican Party, Juan Pablo Segura had been nominated by Trump for the position in April this year, but the Senate only approved him on the 7th, along with 74 other new employees of the Trump administration.
Segura spent most of his career as a technology entrepreneur. He previously held the position of Virginia Secretary of Commerce and Economic Development during the administration of Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin.
In the Senate, Segura called Trump’s policy towards Latin America “ambitious” and cited the Monroe Doctrine, in a reissue of imperialist policy towards the continent.
He also supported the involvement of the US military in combating drug trafficking cartels, an excuse used by Trump for actions such as the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, in addition to talking about China’s “infiltration” in Latin America.
Source: www.brasildefato.com.br
