Bolsonaro Arrives in Miami After Brazil Cancels His Passports
Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, who lost Brazil’s presidential runoff election, arrived in Miami, Florida, on Wednesday. CNN reported that he was filmed stepping off a private jet at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport with his wife and two daughters. The group left the airport hiding under umbrellas.
His route was confirmed by Argentina’s migration department. The department said Bolsonaro crossed into Argentina with his wife and two daughters through the Tancredo Neves International Bridge at about 10:50 p.m. local time on Tuesday, then boarded a private flight to Ecuador at 11:30 p.m. The Times reported that a Gulfstream jet owned by a Buenos Aires charter company left Guayaquil, Ecuador, at 5:22 a.m. on Wednesday and landed in Miami four hours later.
The departure followed a Supreme Court passport order. Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered Bolsonaro on Monday to surrender his passports to federal police within 24 hours as part of a money-laundering investigation. When the deadline passed around midday on Tuesday, federal police cancelled all of his passports, including the diplomatic passport he holds as a senator.
Until Tuesday morning, his whereabouts were unconfirmed. Argentine authorities said at the time that they had no record of him entering the country, and Bolsonaro’s lawyers said they did not know where he was. The confusion was resolved when Argentina’s migration department later confirmed the land crossing. Brazil’s federal police said they had no formal record of him leaving Brazil.
His entry into the United States came through visas issued by the State Department. The department said Bolsonaro and his family would receive visas and be allowed to enter the country. President Donald Trump told reporters he would approve the move, saying, “I think they’re fine people.”
Bolsonaro has not been charged and denies wrongdoing. On Monday he had said he would stay in Brazil to lead the opposition, but his ally, Congressman Mauricio Marcon, said he would “lead the opposition from abroad.” Whether he plans to settle in Florida or how long he will stay is unclear.
Reactions were divided. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva criticized the departure, calling it “the act of leaving Brazil is shameful.” Lawmakers from Lula’s Workers’ Party petitioned the Supreme Court for Bolsonaro’s arrest and an Interpol Red Notice.
