Flávio Bolsonaro Arrives in Miami After Multi-Country Departure From Brazil
The defeated senator and his family traveled via Argentina and Ecuador following a Supreme Court order to surrender their passports.
By Gabriela Ivanov ·
Flávio Bolsonaro stepped off a plane in Miami at approximately 9:30 a.m. EDT on Wednesday.
The 45-year-old senator and former presidential candidate arrived in Florida with his wife and two daughters after leaving Brazil. He wore a dark polo shirt during the arrival. His family had departed the country on Tuesday, following a loss in the recent presidential election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered Bolsonaro to hand over his regular and diplomatic passports by noon Tuesday. The court is investigating him for corruption, money laundering, and tax evasion. Allies indicated that Bolsonaro also holds an Italian passport. A Brazilian diplomat told The Associated Press that Bolsonaro used that document to enter Argentina, meaning he did not leave records at Brazilian exit checkpoints.
Argentina’s migration authority stated the family entered the province of Misiones at 10:50 p.m. Tuesday. They crossed the Tancredo Neves International Bridge with valid travel documentation. Within an hour, the group boarded a private charter plane. Flight tracking data shows the aircraft landed in Guayaquil, Ecuador, around 4 a.m. local time before taking off for Miami-Opa locka Executive Airport.
President Trump granted the family U.S. visas one day before their arrival. Trump described Bolsonaro and his family as fine people and called the election results strange. Lula, who turned 81 on Tuesday, spoke to supporters outside the presidential residence in Brasilia. He said he regretted Bolsonaro leaving because he could have stayed to prove the accusations were not true. Lula called the act of leaving shameful.
Bolsonaro visited his father, Jair Bolsonaro, before departing. Jair Bolsonaro is under house arrest in Brazil as part of a 27-year sentence. Flávio Bolsonaro said in a video on Monday that he was organizing opposition to the election results among congressional colleagues. His term as senator expires on January 31, 2027.
Paulo Figueiredo, an ally of the family living in the U.S., confirmed Bolsonaro was resting with his family. He said he could not confirm information from foreign authorities. The travel route through Argentina may create diplomatic tensions between Brazil and Argentine President Javier Milei.
