Flávio Bolsonaro arrives in Florida after Brazilian election defeat, reports say

Reports published on October 28 said Brazilian senator Flávio Bolsonaro reached Florida with his wife and two daughters after incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defeated him in the presidential race. AFP reported that he travelled by private aircraft despite a court order prohibiting him from leaving Brazil.¹²

Journey through Argentina and Ecuador

Argentina’s migration authorities said Bolsonaro had entered the country by land, according to the Guardian. The newspaper reported that he then boarded a Gulfstream IV with his family, stopping in Guayaquil, Ecuador, before continuing to Miami-Opa Locka executive airport. AFP also reported the aircraft’s stop in Guayaquil before its arrival in Florida.¹²

Parts of the journey remained unexplained. The Guardian said it was unclear how or when Bolsonaro reached the border, or where he had been during a gap in accounts of his movements. It also reported that some Brazilian government officials suspected his allies had given the press misleading information about the route.¹

Passports and investigations

Brazilian police had asked Bolsonaro to surrender his passports because of his connection to an investigation, the New York Times reported. A Supreme Court justice cancelled his passport in a ruling connected to a criminal case, according to the Guardian. A police source told AFP that both his Brazilian and diplomatic passports had been cancelled.¹²³

AFP reported that Bolsonaro was being investigated over alleged corruption and money laundering, and would lose parliamentary immunity following his election defeat. The Guardian described a federal police investigation into possible involvement in a money-laundering operation involving betting companies. These accounts concern investigations and allegations, rather than findings of guilt against him.¹²

Bolsonaro described the travel restriction as an attempt to intimidate him, AFP reported. He said a Supreme Court justice had imposed it on the basis of comments by his brother Eduardo, who had advocated his departure if he lost. AFP also reported that Italian documents it had seen showed Bolsonaro had held Italian nationality since 2023.²

US visa and election challenge

Washington said it would grant Bolsonaro a visa, a development reported by all three outlets. According to the Guardian, a senior State Department official said visas would also be issued to his family. Donald Trump said he supported the family’s relocation to the United States. Separately, the Guardian cited Metrópoles reporting that allies said Bolsonaro intended to seek political asylum.¹²³

Lula won 51.8 percent of the vote, AFP reported; the Guardian put Bolsonaro’s share at 48.21 percent. According to AFP, Bolsonaro said extensions to voting hours caused by transport problems justified seeking annulment of the result. Lula criticised his departure, calling it “shameful”, AFP reported.¹²