Flávio Bolsonaro reaches Miami via Argentina and Ecuador after Brazilian court travel ban
The former presidential candidate and his family entered the United States on Wednesday, defying a supreme court order that had suspended his passports.
By Luca Harrison ·
Flávio Bolsonaro and his family landed at Miami Opa Locka Executive Airport on Wednesday. They arrived by private jet after a multi-leg journey that included stops in Argentina and Ecuador. Brazilian authorities had ordered the former presidential candidate to surrender his passports, a deadline he missed.
The Trump administration announced on Tuesday that it would grant the Bolsonaro family entry visas. This decision came shortly after Brazilian federal police cancelled Bolsonaro's travel documents. The legal action stems from a supreme court judge's travel ban, which was imposed during an ongoing money laundering investigation in which Bolsonaro denies any wrongdoing.
TV footage showed Bolsonaro, his wife, and two daughters walking off a Gulfstream G400. The group entered northern Argentina late Tuesday evening, according to the country's migration department. They then flew to Guayaquil, Ecuador, before taking a final leg to Miami. This route contradicted earlier reports from family allies who claimed the group had already reached the United States late Tuesday.
Bolsonaro lost Sunday's presidential run-off to incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Lula won the vote 51.8 percent to 48.2 percent. The election was marked by controversy after a supreme court judge extended voting by two hours. This extension followed a request from Lula's Workers' Party due to public transport issues. Bolsonaro criticized the delay, noting that his own Liberal Party had also requested extensions in areas hit by heavy rainfall.
US President Donald Trump voiced support for the election result's validity on Monday. He stated there were signs the vote had been rigged. Trump also said he had heard Bolsonaro was in Argentina and that he would approve of the candidate coming to the United States. The administration had not formally recognized Lula's victory as of the family's arrival.
Bolsonaro faces two separate police investigations. One involves his links to the alleged mastermind of a $10 billion bank collapse. The other concerns suspected money laundering involving him and a friend. His father, Jair Bolsonaro, is currently serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup after the 2022 election. Jair is at home on health grounds. Flávio's younger brother, Eduardo, was convicted this year for attempting to interfere in their father's trial and lives in Texas.
Rogério Marinho, the senator who coordinated Bolsonaro's campaign, said he was surprised by the decision to leave the country. He stated he had not been informed beforehand but understood the move due to a series of abuses against citizens. Marinho noted that federal police filed the passport request just seven minutes after the election results were announced.
Lula, who turned 81 on Tuesday, called Bolsonaro's departure shameful. He asked what kind of guilty conscience a citizen must have to leave the country after losing an election. Lula added that the Bolsonaro family treated Brazil as if it were a second home.
