Flávio Bolsonaro, the defeated right-wing Brazilian presidential candidate, landed in Miami on Oct. 28 after fleeing Brazil, ending speculation about his whereabouts.
Bolsonaro, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, left Brazil after he was banned from leaving the country and ordered to surrender his passport by a Brazilian judge shortly after losing the presidential runoff election. The court order came as part of a criminal investigation into Bolsonaro’s alleged involvement in a money laundering scheme.
Bolsonaro and members of his family were photographed exiting an airplane at the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport in Miami-Dade County.
The State Department said on Oct. 27 that it would issue visas to Bolsonaro and his family and allow them
to enter the United States.
Bolsonaro lost to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the second round of the presidential election on Oct. 25. The result came as a surprise after Bolsonaro emerged as the leading candidate in the first round of the election and was widely favored to defeat Lula.
Flávio’s younger brother Eduardo Bolsonaro, who has lived in Texas since 2025, suggested during an Oct. 23 appearance on the "Louder with Crowder" podcast that his sibling should flee Brazil if he didn’t win the election. The comments reportedly prompted Brazilian authorities to order Flávio Bolsonaro to surrender his passport.
The whereabouts of Flávio Bolsonaro were unclear for much of the day on Oct. 27. Argentina’s migration department said in a statement that Bolsonaro had crossed into the country from Brazil at at 10:50 p.m. local time with his wife and two daughters through the Tancredo Neves International Bridge border crossing.
Bolsonaro and his family boarded a private flight from Argentina to Ecuador at 11:30 p.m., the department added.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump ally Flávio Bolsonaro arrives in Miami after fleeing Brazil
