Flávio Bolsonaro Arrives in Miami After Leaving Brazil

Flávio Bolsonaro touched down at the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport on the morning of Wednesday, April 28, 2026. He arrived with his wife and two daughters after leaving Brazil. The former senator had been the losing candidate in Brazil's most recent presidential election.

Bolsonaro traveled from his home country to Argentina and then to Ecuador before reaching the United States. Argentine immigration authorities confirmed that the family entered Argentina at 10:50 p.m. on Tuesday. They crossed the Tancredo Neves International Bridge, which links Brazil to the Misiones province in northeastern Argentina. The four family members boarded a private charter flight operated by Baires Fly SA shortly after passing through immigration control at 11:30 p.m. local time. The aircraft flew to Guayaquil, Ecuador, where it landed around 4:00 a.m. local time. It departed minutes later for Miami.

The Brazilian Supreme Court had ordered Bolsonaro to surrender his ordinary and diplomatic passports by noon on Tuesday. This order came two days after he lost the election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Allies of Bolsonaro stated on Tuesday night that he also holds an Italian passport. It was not immediately clear if he had complied with the court's order to turn in his Brazilian documents. The 45-year-old senator faces investigations in two cases involving alleged corruption, money laundering, and tax evasion. In one case, he is accused of using a sports betting company to launder fraudulent deductions from public pensions for elderly citizens. In the other, he is accused of accepting millions of dollars from a disgraced banker.

The United States government announced on Monday that it would issue visas to Bolsonaro and his family. This decision came just before his departure from Brazil. Bolsonaro had visited the White House in May as an ally of President Donald Trump. Trump said early Wednesday that he approved Bolsonaro's visit to the United States. He described the former senator and his family as good people. Speaking at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Trump called the election strange and terrible. He did not provide further details but emphasized that he did not support the electoral results.

President Lula, who turned 81 on Tuesday, addressed a crowd outside the presidential residence in Brasilia. He said he did not have precise information about Bolsonaro's location but acknowledged that the former senator had left Brazil. Lula expressed regret that Bolsonaro departed the country. He argued that Bolsonaro could have stayed in Brazil to prove the accusations against him were untrue. Lula called the act of leaving the country a source of shame. World leaders and the Organization of American States had congratulated Lula on his reelection. Lula won the second round of the election by a margin of approximately 4.4 million votes.

Paulo Figueiredo, a close ally of Bolsonaro who lives in the United States, spoke briefly to reporters. He said he could not confirm information coming from foreign authorities but stated that Bolsonaro is safe and resting with his family. Figueiredo announced that a press conference will be held in Miami on Thursday to discuss the case. The departure of Bolsonaro is expected to strain diplomatic relations between Brazil and Argentina. Argentine President Javier Milei, a Trump ally, had traveled to Brazil to campaign for Bolsonaro. Adrián Ravier, the spokesperson for Milei's government, stated on Tuesday that there was no request for asylum from Bolsonaro and added nothing else.

Before leaving Brazil, Bolsonaro visited his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro. Jair Bolsonaro is under house arrest in his home, where he is serving a 27-year sentence for attempting a coup after losing the 2022 election to Lula. Flávio Bolsonaro recorded a video before his departure in which he said he was organizing opposition among his congressional colleagues to the election results. His term as a senator ends on January 31, 2027. At that time, he will lose the special jurisdiction of the Brazilian Supreme Court.