Flavio Bolsonaro Reaches Miami via Private Jet After Rejecting Court Order
The Brazilian senator arrived in Florida on Wednesday after a multi-leg flight through Argentina and Ecuador, bypassing a Supreme Court passport surrender mandate.
By Andrew Bennett ·
Flavio Bolsonaro, his wife, and his two daughters landed at Miami-Opa Locka airport on Wednesday morning. The group disembarked from a Gulfstream G400 private jet, ending a flight path that began in Brazil and included stops in Argentina and Ecuador. Their arrival in the United States follows a late Tuesday announcement that they would leave the country.
The senator moved after refusing to comply with a Brazilian Supreme Court order to surrender his passports. The order is linked to a money-laundering investigation, in which Bolsonaro denies any wrongdoing. He publicly pledged to challenge the results of Sunday's presidential election after losing. His decision to depart came despite a Monday Instagram post where he stated he had no intention of leaving and would defend himself against what he called an attempt to intimidate him.
The family traveled to Argentina late on Tuesday. From there, they took a private jet to Guayaquil, Ecuador. The final leg of the journey took them to Florida. Bolsonaro holds Italian citizenship, a detail reported by AFP news agency. This dual nationality allowed him to travel even though his Brazilian and diplomatic passports had been canceled.
The US State Department confirmed it would grant visas to Bolsonaro and his family. This move allows the right-wing candidate to remain in the US while his legal situation in Brazil unfolds. His term in the Senate ends in February, at which point he loses immunity from prosecution. This timeline makes the current passport dispute a central feature of his legal exposure.
The departure mirrors the path taken by his father, Jair Bolsonaro, after the 2022 election. Jair Bolsonaro is currently jailed in Brazil on charges of leading a conspiracy to retain power. The presence of the Bolsonaro family in the US may strain relations between Washington and Brasilia. Incumbent president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva accused the Donald Trump administration of colluding with the Bolsonaro family during the campaign.
Trump has questioned the integrity of the recent vote. He described the extension of voting times as a very bad look. He has also alleged in the past that Jair Bolsonaro faced judicial persecution. The arrival of Flavio Bolsonaro in Miami adds a new layer to this diplomatic friction between the two largest economies in the Americas.
