Bolsonaro family flies to Miami after leaving Brazil

Flávio Bolsonaro and his family arrived in the United States on Wednesday morning. The group of four landed at the Executive Airport in Miami-Opa Locka after a rapid departure from Brazil. They traveled with their passports in hand, bypassing the standard entry procedures that usually apply to foreign nationals.

Brazilian media reported that the senator, 45, lost the presidential election in October. His father, Jair Bolsonaro, is currently under house arrest in Brazil for a 27-year sentence. Flávio Bolsonaro had been ordered by the Federal Supreme Court to surrender his Brazilian passports by Tuesday noon. It is unclear if he complied before leaving the country, though allies noted he also held an Italian passport.

Argentine immigration authorities confirmed the family crossed into Argentina at 10:50 p.m. on Tuesday. They used the Tancredo Neves International Bridge, a major border crossing in the Misiones province. The authorities stated the group entered with valid documents and faced no legal barriers. They boarded a private charter flight operated by Baires Fly S.A. at 11:30 p.m. The plane flew first to Guayaquil, Ecuador, before heading to Miami.

Flight tracking data from FlightRadar24 showed the aircraft landing in Guayaquil around 4 a.m. It departed minutes later for the United States. Local cameras captured the plane touching down in Miami around 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday. The U.S. government had issued visas to the senator and his family the day before their arrival.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva reacted to the departure on Wednesday. Speaking to supporters outside the presidential residence in Brasília, Lula said he lacked precise information on Bolsonaro's location but confirmed he had left. He described the move as shameful. “I regret that he left Brazil, because he could have stayed and proven the accusations were not true,” Lula said. “This act of leaving Brazil is shameful.”

The exit has already sparked diplomatic friction. Argentine President Javier Milei had traveled to Brazil to campaign for Bolsonaro. Milei's spokesperson, Adrián Ravier, stated on Tuesday that there was no formal request for asylum from the senator. “There is no request for asylum from Bolsonaro and there is nothing more to add,” Ravier said. However, Argentine legislator Marcela Pagano filed a lawsuit in Puerto Iguazú on Tuesday. She is seeking an investigation into potential human trafficking and abuse of authority by the government.

Bolsonaro faces two separate investigations by Brazil's Federal Supreme Court. One case involves the alleged use of a sports betting company to launder fraudulent pension deductions. The other accuses him of accepting millions of dollars from a disgraced banker. His term as a senator ends on January 31, 2027. When his term expires, he will lose special legal immunity from the court.

U.S. President Donald Trump commented on the arrival on Wednesday. Speaking at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Trump said he welcomed Bolsonaro's move. He called the senator and his family “good people.” Trump added that the elections were “really strange” and that he found the process terrible. He did not offer further details on the specific circumstances of the flight.