Bolsonaro family arrives in Miami

Flávio Bolsonaro and his family arrived in Miami on Wednesday morning. The group disembarked from a Gulfstream G400 at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport. They were accompanied by Bolsonaro’s wife and two daughters. The United States government plans to grant them entry visas.

The family left Brazil under a travel ban. A Brazilian supreme court judge ordered Bolsonaro to surrender his passports. He failed to meet the deadline set for Tuesday morning. Federal police subsequently cancelled his travel documents. Allies of the politician said they could not reach him for much of Tuesday.

According to Argentina’s migration department, the group entered northern Argentina late on Tuesday evening. They then boarded a private jet to Guayaquil, Ecuador. From there, they flew directly to Miami. This route contradicts statements made by two people close to the family. Those allies had told journalists in Brazil and the US that the group had already arrived in the United States late on Tuesday.

The legal order stems from a money-laundering investigation. Bolsonaro denies wrongdoing in the case. The travel ban was imposed hours after he lost Sunday’s presidential election. Leftist incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won the run-off vote by a margin of 51.8 percent to 48.2 percent.

The election result was marked by controversy. A supreme court judge extended voting by two hours at the last minute. This decision came after a request from Lula’s Workers’ Party. Cited reasons included problems with public transport. Bolsonaro criticized the extension on Monday. However, his own Liberal Party had asked for polling stations to remain open in areas affected by heavy rainfall.

President Donald Trump echoed those criticisms on Monday. He stated there were signs the election had been rigged. Trump also said he had heard Bolsonaro was in Argentina. He added that he would approve of the candidate coming to the United States. The Trump administration had not formally recognized Lula’s victory as of Tuesday.

Bolsonaro faces two separate police investigations. One probe looks into his links to the alleged mastermind of a $10 billion bank collapse. The other involves suspected money laundering with a friend. Supporters describe the candidate as a victim of political persecution. They point to Judge Alexandre de Moraes, who ordered the passport surrender. Moraes also convicted Jair Bolsonaro, Flávio’s father, last year.

The elder Bolsonaro is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup after losing an election to Lula in 2022. He is currently at home on health grounds. Flávio’s younger brother, Eduardo, was convicted this year for attempting to interfere in their father’s trial. Eduardo currently lives in Texas.

Rogério Marinho, a senator who coordinated the campaign, said he was surprised by the departure. He had not been informed of the decision to leave the country. Marinho said he understood the move because a series of abuses had been committed against citizens. He noted that federal police filed a request for the passport only seven minutes after the election result was announced.

Lula, who turned 81 on Tuesday, called the departure shameful. He asked what sort of guilty conscience a citizen must have when they have just lost an election and must leave the country. He added that the Bolsonaro family treated Brazil as if it were a second home.