Flavio Bolsonaro arrives in Florida after defying Brazilian court order
Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro and his family arrived in Miami on Wednesday, where the United States government would grant them entry visas after he refused to comply with a Brazilian Supreme Court order to surrender his passports. Bolsonaro, who lost last Sunday’s presidential election to leftist incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, left Brazil under a shroud of secrecy after the court order, which relates to a money-laundering investigation in which he denies wrongdoing. Images showed Bolsonaro, his wife and two daughters disembarking from a Gulfstream G400 and heading into Miami’s Opa-Locka Executive Airport. Their journey to the United States captured attention across the region. They entered northern Argentina late on Tuesday evening, according to the country’s migration department, and then took a private jet to the Ecuadorean city of Guayaquil. From there, they flew to Miami. Neither Argentina’s presidency, Ecuadorean ministries nor Baires Fly, the operator of the private jet, responded to requests for comment. Fresh Brazil-US rift Bolsonaro’s departure threatens to deepen a rift between the two most populous nations in the Americas. Lula has accused Washington of colluding with the Bolsonaro family to help return them to power. Ahead of Sunday’s election, Reuters reported on a US State Department campaign to restore the Bolsonaros to office. Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he would approve of Bolsonaro coming to the United States, after his State Department said it would give them entry visas. Trump has previously alleged that Flavio’s father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, was a victim of judicial persecution in Brazil. Jair Bolsonaro also travelled to the United States after refusing to concede defeat to Lula in 2022, during Joe Biden’s presidency. He eventually returned to Brazil but was later sentenced to 27 years in prison for plotting a coup after supporters stormed government buildings in Brasilia. Flavio Bolsonaro had been widely expected to win Sunday’s election but suffered a shock defeat. Bolsonaro, who loses his immunity from prosecution when his Senate term ends in February, said on Monday after the order to hand in his passports that he had no plans to flee. “I have never thought about leaving the country,” he said. “I will hand over my passports and defend myself against this travesty, which is a clear attempt to intimidate me.”
Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro has arrived in Florida alongside his family after defying a domestic judicial mandate to surrender his travel documents, prompting a fresh diplomatic dispute between Brasilia and Washington.
Bolsonaro, who was defeated in Sunday's presidential vote by incumbent leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, landed at Miami's Opa-Locka Executive Airport on Wednesday aboard a Gulfstream G400. He was accompanied by his wife and two daughters following a multi-leg journey across South America that bypassed Brazilian authorities.
The departure follows a directive from Brazil's Supreme Court demanding that Bolsonaro hand over his passports in connection with an ongoing money-laundering inquiry. Bolsonaro has consistently rejected any wrongdoing. Despite stating publicly on Monday that he would surrender the documents and had no intention of departing the country, he moved quickly to leave Brazil.
According to migration officials in Argentina, Bolsonaro and his relatives crossed into northern Argentina on Tuesday night. They subsequently boarded a private aircraft managed by Baires Fly, stopping in the Ecuadorean port city of Guayaquil before continuing northward to Florida. Neither the Argentine presidency, government ministries in Ecuador, nor the flight operator offered immediate comment on the transit.
The United States government confirmed it would grant entry visas to the family. Donald Trump told reporters on Wednesday that he supported Bolsonaro's arrival in the US, having previously claimed that the politician's father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, was targeted by unfair judicial treatment in Brazil.
The move risks further straining ties between the administration of President Lula and the United States. Lula has previously alleged that US officials worked alongside the Bolsonaro family in an effort to return right-wing leadership to power. Prior to the recent vote, Reuters reported on efforts within the US State Department intended to assist the Bolsonaro political camp.
Bolsonaro is slated to lose his parliamentary immunity once his legislative term in the Brazilian Senate concludes in February. His surprise election loss over the weekend came as an unexpected outcome after polls had widely favored him to secure the presidency.
The sudden travel mirrors events following Brazil's 2022 election, when Jair Bolsonaro also flew to the United States after declining to acknowledge his loss to Lula. The elder Bolsonaro later went back to Brazil, where courts ultimately handed him a 27-year prison term for his role in orchestrating an attempted coup linked to the storming of federal buildings in Brasilia.
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