Flavio Bolsonaro and Family Arrive in Miami After Defying Brazilian Court Order on Passports

Miami, United States. Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro and his family landed in Miami on Wednesday, where the US government will issue them entry visas, after he declined to obey a Brazilian Supreme Court order to give up his passports.

Departure from Brazil

Bolsonaro lost Sunday’s presidential election to the leftist incumbent, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. He left Brazil in secrecy following the court order, which is linked to a money-laundering investigation. He denies any wrongdoing.

Related: Flavio Bolsonaro leaves Brazil for the United States after election loss and passport order, sources say

RelatedFlavio Bolsonaro leaves Brazil for the United States after election loss and passport order, sources say

Reuters TV footage showed Bolsonaro, his wife and their two daughters stepping off a Gulfstream G400 and walking into Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport.

Route through South America

The trip drew attention throughout the region. According to Argentina’s migration department, the family crossed into northern Argentina late on Tuesday evening. They then boarded a private jet to the Ecuadorean city of Guayaquil and continued from there to Miami.

Argentina’s presidency, Ecuadorean ministries and Baires Fly, the operator of the private jet, did not reply to requests for comment.

Impact on US-Brazil relations

Bolsonaro’s departure could widen the divide between the two most populous countries in the Americas. Lula has accused Washington of working with the Bolsonaro family to help bring them back to power. Before Sunday’s vote, Reuters reported on a US State Department campaign aimed at returning the Bolsonaros to office.

On Wednesday, after the State Department said it would grant the family entry visas, Trump told reporters he would welcome Bolsonaro’s arrival in the United States. Trump has earlier claimed that Flavio’s father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, was a victim of judicial persecution in Brazil.

Precedent set by Jair Bolsonaro

Jair Bolsonaro also went to the United States in 2022, under President Joe Biden, after refusing to accept his defeat by Lula. He later returned to Brazil and was subsequently sentenced to 27 years in prison for plotting a coup, following the storming of government buildings in Brasilia by his supporters.