Bolsonaro Family Arrives in Miami After 3-Hour Flight From Ecuador
The defeated Brazilian presidential candidate defied a travel ban to enter the U.S., where officials plan to grant him and his family visas.
By Chioma Brooks ·
Flávio Bolsonaro and his family landed in Miami on Wednesday, concluding a multi-country journey that began after he defied a Brazilian supreme court order to surrender his passports. The arrival marks a formal entry into United States territory, where the government intends to issue entry visas to the group.
The former presidential candidate lost the runoff election on Sunday to incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Lula won with 51.8 percent of the vote compared to Bolsonaro’s 48.2 percent. A federal judge imposed a travel ban on Bolsonaro shortly after the result, linking the order to ongoing criminal investigations. Bolsonaro refused to comply with the deadline to surrender his travel documents by Tuesday morning, prompting federal police to cancel his passports.
Bolsonaro departed Brazil under conditions of secrecy. Migration authorities in northern Argentina reported that the group entered the country late on Tuesday evening. They then traveled by private jet to Guayaquil in Ecuador before flying to the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport. Television footage showed Bolsonaro, his wife, and two daughters disembarking from a Gulfstream G400 aircraft.
The route contradicted earlier accounts provided by allies to journalists in Brazil and the United States. Two people close to the family had stated that the group had already arrived in the U.S. late on Tuesday. The discrepancy raised questions about the timing and logistics of the move, which captured attention across the region.
The Trump administration signaled support for the move on Tuesday. President Donald Trump stated he had heard Bolsonaro was in Argentina and said he would approve of him coming to the United States. The administration has not yet formally recognized Lula’s victory. Trump also suggested on Monday that there were signs the election had been rigged, echoing criticisms made by Bolsonaro after the vote.
Bolsonaro faces two separate police investigations. One inquiry examines his links to an alleged mastermind of a $10 billion bank collapse. The other involves suspected money laundering with a friend. Bolsonaro denies wrongdoing in both cases. His father, Jair Bolsonaro, is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup after losing an election to Lula in 2022. The elder Bolsonaro is currently at home on health grounds.
The family’s departure has strained relations between Brasília and Washington. Rogério Marinho, a senator who coordinated Bolsonaro’s campaign, said he was surprised by the decision to leave the country. He stated that he had not been informed in advance but understood the move because of abuses committed against citizens. Marinho noted that federal police filed a request for Bolsonaro’s passport only seven minutes after the election result was announced.
Lula, who turned 81 on Tuesday, described the departure as shameful. He asked what sort of guilty conscience a citizen must have when leaving the country immediately after losing an election. Lula added that the Bolsonaro family treated Brazil as a second home. Eduardo Bolsonaro, Flávio’s younger brother, was convicted this year for attempting to interfere in his father’s trial and currently lives in Texas.
Source: The Irish Times
