Flávio Bolsonaro reaches Miami after missing this court deadline
MIAMI — Brazilian senator Flávio Bolsonaro has arrived in Florida with his family after missing a Supreme Court deadline to surrender his passports in connection with a money-laundering investigation. His journey through Argentina and Ecuador followed his defeat in Brazil’s presidential election and his refusal to concede.
Bolsonaro, who denies wrongdoing, landed at Miami’s Opa-locka Executive Airport on Wednesday, 28 October. Reuters footage showed him disembarking with his wife and two daughters, while US officials said the family would be permitted to enter and receive visas.
A departure after promising to comply
On Monday, Bolsonaro said federal police had asked him to surrender his passports following an order from Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. He said he would comply and rejected suggestions that he intended to leave Brazil.
The deadline passed at noon on Tuesday without the documents being surrendered, according to Reuters, which cited federal police sources saying the passports had been cancelled. Argentina’s migration authority subsequently confirmed that the family entered its territory late that evening using valid travel documents.
Brazil’s Agência Brasil reported that they crossed the Tancredo Neves International Bridge into Argentina’s Misiones province before boarding a private aircraft bound for Guayaquil, Ecuador. The final flight to Miami took about four hours.
Trump welcomes arrival amid election dispute
US President Donald Trump said Bolsonaro was welcome and questioned Brazil’s election outcome without presenting evidence. Bolsonaro has alleged electoral fraud and political persecution, while President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva criticised his departure. International leaders and the Organisation of American States recognised Lula’s victory.
The US announcement concerned permission to enter and the issuing of visas. The reports reviewed did not establish that Bolsonaro had been granted asylum or that his arrival resolved the Brazilian investigation or his obligations under the passport order.
Anyone with additional information can contact the press desk at press@townpress.co.za or drop a tip.