Flávio Bolsonaro Lands in Miami After Brazil Cancels His Passports

Brazilian Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro landed in Miami after losing Sunday’s presidential election, ending days of confusion about where he was, the BBC reported. In his first statement since leaving, he said it was never his intention to “leave my homeland.” He added: “I did not flee Brazil; I left for the sake of Brazil.”

The United States provided visas to him and his family after Brazil cancelled his passports as part of a criminal investigation, the BBC said. NPR reported on Tuesday that the State Department would issue the visas while Bolsonaro’s whereabouts were still unclear. President Donald Trump told reporters on Wednesday: “We gave him a pass to come into the country.” Asked about the fraud claims in Bolsonaro’s letter, Trump said, “I won’t get involved. It was a very strange election, that’s for sure,” and added that he thought Bolsonaro and his family had been “treated very unfairly.”

Bolsonaro denies wrongdoing in the investigations. In a lengthy letter he called himself a victim of a coup d’état and political persecution and said he traveled to protect his family. “I know exactly where this is heading,” he said, adding that he had left “a regime of exception so that I could become the leader my people deserve.” He repeated unsubstantiated claims of electoral fraud and said a “mathematical impossibility” had occurred in the vote. The BBC described those allegations as unsubstantiated.

The results do not support the claim. The BBC reported that Bolsonaro won the first round, but that Lula won the runoff by more than four million votes, which it attributed to higher turnout and to swaying undecided voters. The result was confirmed by the president of Brazil’s top electoral court, who was appointed by Bolsonaro’s father, former president Jair Bolsonaro.

Lula, newly re-elected, criticized the secretive exit. “Those who have nothing to hide have nothing to fear,” he said, according to the BBC.

Speculation about the senator’s movements began with a report on an Argentine news site claiming he had crossed the land border and boarded a private plane bound for the United States. Brazilian police took the rumors seriously and checked border crossings early Tuesday but found no evidence he had left; Argentine officials said they had no reports of him crossing. Video from Miami showed reporters swarming Bolsonaro as he left the airport while aides shielded him with umbrellas. His brother Eduardo posted a photo of their reunion, writing, “Even here outside, we will not give up on Brazil.”

The Bolsonaro family has a history here. Jair Bolsonaro flew to Florida in December 2022, before Lula’s inauguration, and was still in the United States when his supporters stormed Brazil’s government buildings and Supreme Court on Jan. 8, 2023, the BBC recalled. Jair was later convicted in a coup trial and sentenced to 27 years. Eduardo Bolsonaro has lived in Texas and lobbied American officials over his father’s trial, which led to American tariffs on Brazil and sanctions on key officials; Brazil’s highest court convicted him in absentia earlier this year.

Flávio Bolsonaro faces two pending investigations before Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court: one over possible irregularities in the transfer of nearly $70 million from the private bank Banco Master to a biopic about his father, and one over alleged money laundering. He denies both. His eight-year Senate term ends on Jan. 31, when he loses his parliamentary immunity. The BBC said it is unclear where he will ultimately settle or how long he plans to stay.