Bolsonaro Lands in Miami After Brazil Supreme Court Passport Order
The defeated presidential candidate bypassed domestic authorities using an Italian passport to escape to Florida, where the Trump administration has granted him entry.
By Allison Singh ·
Flávio Bolsonaro arrived in Miami on Wednesday morning with his wife and two daughters. The 45-year-old Brazilian senator left the country after losing the presidential election to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and refusing to concede defeat. He landed at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport at approximately 9:30 a.m. local time.
Bolsonaro traveled via a private charter plane that departed Argentina for Ecuador before heading to Florida. Flightradar24 data shows the aircraft landed in Guayaquil at 4:00 a.m. local time and took off for the United States minutes later. Argentine immigration officials confirmed the family entered via a border checkpoint late Tuesday.
A Brazilian diplomat told the Associated Press that Bolsonaro used an Italian passport to cross into Argentina. The diplomat noted that Brazilian authorities do not scrutinize citizens leaving through land borders. Federal police were not monitoring the senator when he departed his home in Brasilia because the Supreme Court had not issued an arrest warrant.
The Supreme Court ordered Bolsonaro to surrender his regular and diplomatic passports by noon Tuesday. Allies said late Tuesday that he also held an Italian passport. The court is investigating the senator for corruption, money laundering, and tax evasion. Allegations include using a sports betting company to launder fraudulent deductions from government pensions and accepting millions of dollars from a disgraced banker. Bolsonaro has denied wrongdoing.
In a statement on X on Wednesday, Bolsonaro described himself as a victim of electoral fraud and political persecution. He called for the annulment of the Lula-Alckmin ticket. “I want to tell not only my 60 million voters but also the Brazilian people as a whole that I am the president-elect, and that the criminals who stole Brazil’s election are part of a criminal organization that has established a tyranny,” he said. He later changed the term “president-elect” to “leader” in a revised version of the text.
President Donald Trump approved U.S. visas for Bolsonaro and his family earlier this week. Trump called the Brazilian election “really strange” and said he gave Bolsonaro a “pass” to enter the country. President Lula said on Tuesday that he regretted Bolsonaro leaving Brazil. “This act of leaving Brazil is shameful,” Lula said. Argentine President Javier Milei’s spokesperson said the administration rescued Bolsonaro from “the claws of communism.”
Bolsonaro’s term as senator expires on Jan. 31, 2027. His father, Jair Bolsonaro, is serving a 27-year sentence under house arrest in Brazil. The U.S. has imposed double-digit sanctions on Brazil, while Lula’s government has deepened trade ties with China and sought greater influence through the BRICS group.
Source: MySA
