Eight Brazilian witnesses were denied visas to enter the United States just days before they were scheduled to testify at the National Press Club about the 1996 Varginha UFO incident. According to filmmaker James Fox, who organized the January 20th event, some visas were initially approved before being revoked once authorities learned the event concerned the Varginha case.

Fox spent months coordinating with members of Congress and the U.S. consulate in Rio de Janeiro. He provided documentation including his credentials, films, and event details while agreeing to be personally responsible for all witnesses. Despite these efforts, eight visas were denied under circumstances Fox describes as suspicious.

The centerpiece of the upcoming event is Dr. Italo Venturelli, a Brazilian neurosurgeon who denied involvement for nearly 30 years. According to Fox’s interview on Weaponized, Dr. Venturelli decided to come forward after suffering a heart attack and prostate cancer. The doctor claims he saw a living non-human being in the ICU at the Regional Hospital in Varginha and described telepathic communication with the creature.

Fox also obtained testimony from forensic pathologists Dr. Armando and Dr. Janini, who examined military officer Marco Chereze after his death. According to Fox, Dr. Janini described the bacteria that killed the healthy 23-year-old as behaving unlike anything he had seen before or since, using the word “weaponized” to describe it.

Perhaps most significant is testimony from a Brazilian air traffic controller who claims he witnessed an unauthorized United States Air Force flight land at Campinas military base without Brazilian government clearance. According to the controller, a high-level official simply ordered the plane be allowed to land. This is the same location where witnesses claim recovered materials were transported.

Fox is bringing a sitting Brazilian senator to Washington and hopes to establish a joint investigation between both governments. The National Press Club event on January 20th, 2026 is open to the public with a 400-person capacity and will be streamed on NewsNation.