Flávio Bolsonaro Arrives in Miami After Fleeing Brazil

Flávio Bolsonaro and his family landed in Miami at approximately 9:30 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, following a multi-country journey that began after he lost the Brazilian presidential election. The 45-year-old senator entered the United States with his wife, Fernanda Antunes Figueira Bolsonaro, and their two daughters, Carolina and Luiza Figueira Bolsonaro. He arrived one day after the Trump administration granted the family U.S. visas.

Bolsonaro left Brazil on Tuesday, a day after the Supreme Court ordered him to hand over his regular and diplomatic passports by noon. His route took him first to Argentina, where the family entered the northeastern province of Misiones at 10:50 p.m. Tuesday. They crossed via the Tancredo Neves International Bridge, a primary border checkpoint, using valid travel documentation. Argentina’s migration authority reported that the group boarded a private charter plane within an hour of their arrival.

Flight tracking data from FlightRadar24 indicated the aircraft landed in Guayaquil, Ecuador, at about 4 a.m. local time. It departed minutes later for Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport. A Brazilian diplomat, who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter, stated that Bolsonaro used an Italian passport to enter Argentina. Because the Italian passport was not issued by Brazil, the family did not need to leave official records at Brazilian exit checkpoints.

The senator is currently under investigation by Brazil’s Supreme Court for corruption, money laundering, and tax evasion. The probe alleges he used a sports betting company to launder fraudulent deductions from government pensions paid to senior citizens. In a separate case, he faces accusations of accepting millions of dollars from a disgraced banker. His eight-year term as a senator is scheduled to expire on January 31, 2027.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who turned 81 on Tuesday, commented on the departure while speaking to supporters outside the presidential residence in Brasilia. Lula stated that he regretted Bolsonaro’s departure because the senator could have remained in Brazil to prove the accusations against him were false. He described the act of leaving the country as shameful. Lula was reelected by a margin of approximately 4.4 million votes in the final round of the election.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who visited the White House with Bolsonaro in May, said early Wednesday that he would approve of the family’s move. Trump described Bolsonaro and his family as fine people and called the election result terrible. He noted that world leaders and the Organization of American States had endorsed the outcome and congratulated Lula. Trump did not elaborate on his specific concerns regarding the election process.

Paulo Figueiredo, a close ally of Bolsonaro who resides in the United States, issued a brief statement confirming the family’s status. He said he could not verify details from foreign authorities but noted that Bolsonaro is well, secure, and resting with his family. The Bolsonaro family’s move is expected to create diplomatic tension between Brazil and Argentina, as Argentine President Javier Milei, a Trump ally, had traveled to Brazil to support Bolsonaro’s campaign.

Before fleeing, Bolsonaro visited his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year house arrest sentence for an attempted coup following his 2022 loss. Flávio Bolsonaro showed a video recording himself receiving the passport surrender order outside his father’s home. He said he was organizing opposition to the election results among his congressional colleagues at the time. Brazilian federal police were not monitoring his departure from his Brasilia residence because the Supreme Court had not issued an arrest warrant.