Flavio Bolsonaro Leaves Brazil for US After Election Loss, Passport Row

Brazilian senator Flavio Bolsonaro has left the country for the United States after losing the presidential election to incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. He is believed to be in Miami along with his wife and two daughters, though his exact location has not been confirmed.

His departure comes shortly after he failed to meet a 24-hour deadline set by Brazil's Supreme Court to surrender his passports, which were seized as part of a money laundering investigation. Bolsonaro denies any wrongdoing, while authorities had expressed concern that his financial resources made him a flight risk. His passports were reportedly cancelled once the deadline passed.

A US State Department official confirmed that visas would be issued to Bolsonaro and his family, allowing them entry into the country. A senior Brazilian federal police official noted that his exit did not occur through any standard immigration checkpoint, leaving the manner of his departure unclear.

Lula, reacting to the news, described the move as shameful and said Bolsonaro should have remained in Brazil to contest the allegations through the courts. President Trump has previously argued that Flavio's father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, faced politically motivated prosecution, and recently suggested without evidence that Brazil's election appeared rigged.

Flavio Bolsonaro has not formally conceded the election. He had indicated plans to challenge the results over alleged voting irregularities, even as his party acknowledged Lula's win. Just a day earlier, he had denied any intention of leaving the country and said he would hand over his passports to fight what he called an intimidation campaign.

The situation mirrors events from 2022, when his father left for the United States after refusing to concede to Lula. Jair Bolsonaro later returned to Brazil and was sentenced to 27 years in prison over a coup plot tied to the storming of government buildings in Brasilia. Flavio is set to lose his legal immunity as a senator when his term concludes in February.