BRASÍLIA, Brazil (Diya TV) — Brazilian senator Flávio Bolsonaro left for the United States after losing Sunday’s presidential runoff and missing a Supreme Court deadline to surrender his passports, three people familiar with his departure said. A senior U.S. State Department official said the United States would issue visas to Bolsonaro and his family and allow them to enter.
Bolsonaro traveled with his wife and two daughters. His location was initially unclear, though one person close to the family said he had landed in Florida. A senior Federal Police official said Bolsonaro did not leave through a regular immigration checkpoint. Authorities have not publicly explained how he crossed the border.
The trip followed a court order issued Monday by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. The order barred Bolsonaro from leaving Brazil and gave him 24 hours to surrender his Brazilian passports and any foreign travel documents. The court cited the risk that he might flee and his “significant financial resources.” After Bolsonaro missed the deadline, authorities canceled his Brazilian passports, according to people familiar with the matter.
Bolsonaro had publicly denied plans to leave. On Monday, he said he had never considered leaving Brazil, would turn over his passports and would defend himself against what he called an attempt to intimidate him. His campaign manager, Senator Rogério Marinho, said the departure surprised him. The previous day, Marinho and Bolsonaro had discussed the senator’s role as opposition leader after he received nearly 60 million votes.
The runoff gave Lula 51.79% of the vote and Bolsonaro 48.21%, a margin of about 4.4 million votes. Bolsonaro initially rejected the result and said he would seek its annulment, citing alleged irregularities and a two-hour extension of voting. His Liberal Party later recognized Lula’s victory while calling for the concerns it raised to be clarified.
The passport order stems from an investigation into alleged money laundering involving online betting businesses and lawyer Willer Tomaz. Investigators are examining Bolsonaro’s possible connection to the operation. He denies wrongdoing, and authorities have not announced charges against him in that probe.
Three lawmakers from Lula’s Workers’ Party asked the Supreme Court to order Bolsonaro’s arrest and seek an Interpol Red Notice. Their request is not an arrest warrant: no court order granting it or Interpol notice had been publicly confirmed.
Lula said he had heard Bolsonaro left Brazil and called the move shameful, arguing that the senator should stay and prove his innocence. The departure also echoes the actions of Bolsonaro’s father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, who went to the United States after refusing to concede his 2022 loss. Brazil’s Supreme Court later sentenced Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years in prison for plotting a coup.
Flávio Bolsonaro’s departure leaves questions about how he crossed the border despite the travel restriction and how the investigation will proceed while he is in the United States. The visa announcement permits entry; it does not establish that he has sought or received political asylum.
