Understanding the Disagreement Between Gretchen and the US Government

In August 2011, Gretchen decided to leave Brazil to live in the United States, claiming that she was tired of the celebrity life and wanted to devote more time to her children. Shortly after arriving there, a photo of Gretchen working as a waitress in Brazil went viral, and in an interview with Sonia Abraão, the celebrity confirmed that she was working there.

Gretchen was contacted by the Brazilian press and opened the doors of her home in the United States to show her work routine and life with her children. The entire exhibition caught the attention of the US government consulate, which investigated Gretchen’s situation in the country and, after finding irregularities, decided to permanently revoke the Brazilian’s permission to visit the country.

Later, Gretchen and the coffee shop owner explained that she had never actually worked there, but nothing helped and Gretchen remained banned from entering the United States. When she learned of the court decision, Gretchen was in Brazil and unable to return to the country to pick up the children or move on her own.

Gretchen has been banned from the US for over 10 years, but the singer has not given up hope of reversing the situation. In a 2021 interview with Quem, the singer spoke about the case and said she would ask Joe Biden for a pardon. “I still have this restriction with the US and it’s something I want to review. Now that the president there has changed and it’s Joe Biden, I want to try to reverse it. When news came out that I was working illegally in a cafeteria there, they permanently revoked my visa.

Now I am trying to give a speech of forgiveness to this new president, to prove my singing career as an artist. Because I did not do anything wrong and I know cases of people who did serious things and were able to return there.

For Jovim Pan, Gretchen explained that the desire to reverse the situation was based exclusively on tourism. She ruled out any possibility of living in the country and spoke of her desire to travel around the United States with her family. “I wanted to get a visa to go hiking with my children and my grandson [Bento, filho de Thammy] He’s American, so I guess he’d like to be there with me sometimes, just for that reason. I also wanted to get a visa in case a job opportunity came up.