Flavio Bolsonaro, a Brazilian senator, has left the country to head to the United States after losing the presidential elections on Sunday. Three sources informed Reuters that the U.S. State Department plans to grant him and his family entry visas.
Bolsonaro has not yet conceded defeat to the current leftist president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and departed Brazil after refusing to comply with a Supreme Court ruling requiring him to surrender his passports.
The ruling is part of an investigation concerning money laundering, which Bolsonaro denies any wrongdoing in.
It remains unclear where Flavio Bolsonaro is currently located, along with his wife and two daughters. A family source mentioned that Flavio landed in Florida but did not specify the exact location.
“The State Department will issue visas for Flavio Bolsonaro and his family, allowing them entry into the U.S.,” stated a senior official from the State Department.
Rising tensions between Brazil and the US
Bolsonaro’s departure threatens to exacerbate divisions between the two most populous countries in the Americas. Lula has accused Washington of collaborating with the Bolsonaro family to restore their power, and Reuters previously reported on a U.S. State Department campaign aimed at bringing family members back into power before the elections on Sunday.
Donald Trump had claimed earlier that Flavio’s father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, was a victim of judicial persecution in Brazil. Jair Bolsonaro also sought refuge in the United States after refusing to acknowledge his defeat to Lula in 2022 when Joe Biden was in office. He eventually returned but was later sentenced to 27 years in prison for conspiracy to stage a coup following assaults on government buildings in Brasilia by his supporters.
Trump did not mention Flavio Bolsonaro’s departure in his Monday press statements but remarked that the Brazilian elections “look like another fraudulent election.”
Lula, speaking in Brasilia, expressed that he had just learned of Flavio’s departure and described the act as shameful, asserting that Bolsonaro’s son should have remained in Brazil to prove his innocence.
Flavio Bolsonaro was favored to win the presidential election but ultimately lost to Lula in a surprising outcome.
Ordered to surrender passports
On Monday, Flavio Bolsonaro was given 24 hours to surrender his passports, which were subsequently voided after the deadline lapsed, according to two sources. In a court ruling consulted by Reuters, the Supreme Court cited the risk of Bolsonaro fleeing Brazil and his “significant financial resources” in its decision to order the confiscation of his passports.
As he loses judicial immunity with the end of his Senate term in February, Bolsonaro stated that he has no intention of leaving the country.
“I never thought of leaving the country,” he said. “I will surrender my passports and defend myself against this farce, which is an obvious attempt to intimidate me.”
His departure reportedly took his campaign coordinator by surprise.
“We are surprised by this news because just yesterday, we discussed the necessity for Flavio – given the 60 million votes he received – to take on this role as leader of the opposition,” Senator Rogerio Marinho told reporters.
Following in his father’s footsteps
Although Bolsonaro has not officially conceded defeat, claiming he will request the annulment of the election results due to alleged irregularities, the Liberal Party he is a part of announced on Monday that it recognizes Lula’s victory.
It remains unclear how Bolsonaro managed to leave the country considering he had a 24-hour deadline to surrender his passports. A senior official from the Federal Police stated that Bolsonaro did not leave through any official border crossing.
Eduardo Bolsonaro, Flavio’s younger brother who resides in the United States, previously stated ahead of the election that an electoral defeat would necessitate a move.
“If my brother does not win, I believe he should leave the country,” he told podcaster Steven Crowder in October.
