Flávio Bolsonaro Lands in Miami After Fleeing Brazil
The defeated Brazilian presidential candidate arrived with his family on Wednesday, days after losing the runoff to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and defying a court order to surrender his passports.
Flávio Bolsonaro landed in Miami on Wednesday after fleeing Brazil, days after losing the country’s presidential runoff election. He arrived with his wife and two daughters at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport.
Bolsonaro, a Brazilian senator, lost Sunday’s runoff to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. He had won the first round earlier this month and was widely favored to win the second.
After the loss, Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered Bolsonaro to surrender his passports by Tuesday. Justice Alexandre de Moraes issued the order as part of investigations into alleged corruption, money laundering, and tax evasion. Bolsonaro denies wrongdoing.
Bolsonaro did not hand over the documents. Brazil’s Federal Police canceled his passports after he failed to comply, according to reports from Brazil.
Argentina’s migration department said Bolsonaro crossed into Argentina late Tuesday night with his wife and two daughters through the Tancredo Neves International Bridge. From there, the family flew by private jet to Guayaquil, Ecuador, and then on to Miami.
Television footage showed Bolsonaro stepping off the plane at Opa-locka with his family. Members of his entourage held umbrellas up to shield them from cameras as they left the airport.
The United States said Monday it would grant visas to Bolsonaro and his family. President Donald Trump told reporters he approved of the move.
“Well, I would approve. I think they’re fine people,” Trump said. “The election was very strange, and I thought it was terrible.”
Trump has long been friendly with the Bolsonaro family. He has said Flávio Bolsonaro’s father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, was a victim of judicial persecution in Brazil. Jair Bolsonaro is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup after his 2022 election loss to Lula. Flávio Bolsonaro made freeing his father a central theme of his campaign.
Lula has accused Washington of working with the Bolsonaro family to return them to power. Bolsonaro’s departure now threatens to deepen the rift between the two largest countries in the Americas.
It was not immediately clear whether Bolsonaro and his family intend to remain in Florida. His brother Eduardo, who has lived in the United States since last year, greeted him on arrival, according to Brazilian newspaper O Globo.
Bolsonaro’s father also fled to Florida after losing the 2022 election to Lula, before returning to Brazil three months later.
