Flávio Bolsonaro arrives in Miami after Brazil election defeat

Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro arrived in Miami with his family on Wednesday, three days after losing Brazil’s presidential election to incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and amid a court order to surrender his passports.

Bolsonaro, his wife and their two daughters landed at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport at about 9:30 a.m. local time. Photographers gathered as he left the airport, and his team tried to shield him with umbrellas. Al Jazeera reported that the family was then “whisked away in an SUV.”

The arrival ended days of conflicting reports about Bolsonaro’s whereabouts. Early on Tuesday, Brazilian police checked border crossings after a report claimed he had travelled to Argentina, but found no evidence that he had left Brazil. Argentine officials initially said they had no record of him crossing. People close to the family later told the BBC he was already in Miami, a report overtaken by an Argentine immigration announcement that the family had entered Argentina by land late Tuesday.

Flight-tracking data verified by the BBC showed their private jet leaving Puerto Iguazú, Argentina, early Wednesday for Guayaquil, Ecuador. After a brief stop, the aircraft continued to Miami.

Brazilian authorities cancelled Bolsonaro’s passports after he missed a 24-hour deadline to surrender them. The BBC reported that the order was tied to an ongoing criminal investigation. Al Jazeera reported that Brazil’s Supreme Court sought to prevent him from leaving before he could be investigated for embezzlement and money laundering. Bolsonaro denies wrongdoing.

The BBC reported that two investigations are pending before Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court: one concerning possible irregularities in the transfer of nearly $70 million from private bank Banco Master to Dark Horse, a film about his father, and another involving alleged money laundering. According to the BBC, Bolsonaro’s eight-year Senate term ends on January 31, when he is set to lose parliamentary immunity.

The US State Department confirmed that it would issue visas to Bolsonaro and his family. Lula criticised the departure, saying, “those who have nothing to hide have nothing to fear.” Asked about Bolsonaro before the family’s arrival in Miami, US President Donald Trump told reporters, “I heard he was in Argentina.” Al Jazeera also reported that Trump had called the Bolsonaros “fine people.”

It remains unclear how long Bolsonaro plans to stay in the United States or where he will go next. His father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, travelled to Florida after losing his own re-election bid in 2022. The BBC reported that Jair Bolsonaro was later convicted in a coup trial and sentenced to 27 years in prison; Al Jazeera reported that he is currently under house arrest.