Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro Flees To Florida Defying Passport Surrender Order
The runner-up in Brazil's presidential election rejected the vote results and relocated to the United States while facing domestic criminal investigations.
Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro and his family arrived in Florida on Wednesday after leaving Brazil in defiance of a Supreme Court order. Their private jet landed at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport at about 9:24 a.m. local time.
The departure followed a sealed order by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes requiring Bolsonaro to surrender his passports by Tuesday midday. Brazilian authorities invalidated his national travel documents after he missed the deadline, but allies said he also held an Italian passport.
Bolsonaro crossed overland into Argentina with his wife and two teenage daughters late Tuesday through the Tancredo Neves International Bridge checkpoint. Argentine migration officials said the family departed Puerto Iguazú on a chartered Gulfstream IV that stopped in Ecuador before reaching Florida.
The administration of United States President Donald Trump approved entry visas for the family despite warnings from Brazilian officials. Trump described the Bolsonaros as fine people, called the Brazilian election strange and terrible, and confirmed that he approved their relocation.
Shortly after arriving, Bolsonaro issued an open letter asserting that he is the legitimate president-elect of Brazil. He alleged without evidence that an institutional coup denied his victory. He also thanked Trump and Argentine President Javier Milei for assisting his departure.
Official results from Sunday's runoff election showed incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won with 51.8 percent of the vote. Bolsonaro received 48.2 percent. International monitors endorsed the vote, and Bolsonaro's Liberal Party recognized Lula's victory.
Bolsonaro had previously led the first round of voting on October 4 with 47 percent against Lula's 45 percent. His brother Eduardo Bolsonaro, who moved to the United States in 2025, had publicly advised the senator to reject the results and leave Brazil.
Lula called the senator's sudden departure shameful. The president said anyone who sneaks out of their home nation must have something to hide, remarking that the Bolsonaro family treats the United States as their first nation.
The 45-year-old senator faces Supreme Court investigations into money laundering, corruption, and tax evasion involving pension deductions and sports-betting companies. His father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, is serving a 27-year sentence under house arrest for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 election.
Bolsonaro's Senate term runs through January 2027, leaving his legislative status subject to challenge. Legal analysts noted that the bilateral extradition treaty between Brazil and the United States covers money laundering offenses if he is convicted.
Bolsonaro is scheduled to hold a press conference in South Florida on Thursday to outline plans to lead opposition activity from abroad. Lawmakers from the Workers' Party have formally asked Brazil's Supreme Court to issue an arrest warrant and seek an Interpol Red Notice.
