Flávio Bolsonaro Arrives in Miami Following Defeat in Brazil Presidential Election

Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro landed in Miami on Wednesday morning with his family after losing the presidential election over the weekend to incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Travel and Visas

Before reaching Florida, Bolsonaro, his wife, and two daughters traveled through Argentina and took a private plane from Ecuador, as confirmed by flight tracking data and officials. A senior State Department official stated that Bolsonaro and his family would receive U.S. visas. U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters he approved of the arrival. Brazil cancelled Bolsonaro's passport after a 24-hour deadline for him to surrender his regular and diplomatic documents expired at noon Tuesday without compliance, amid an ongoing criminal investigation.

Reactions and Allegations

In a statement posted on X and distributed by influencer Paulo Figueiredo, Bolsonaro called the election results illegitimate, claimed he is the true elected president, and accused the government of political persecution. President Lula criticized the departure as shameful, stating that people who have nothing to hide do not sneak out of the country. Lula won the runoff with more than 64 million votes compared to fewer than 60 million for Bolsonaro, a margin of nearly 4% or over four million votes.

Context

This follows an earlier report, covered earlier on 28 Oct 2026: 'U.S. issuing visas to Brazil's Flávio Bolsonaro and family, official says'. Political figures leaving their home countries following major electoral defeats often spark intense legal and diplomatic debates over accountability and asylum.