Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro has arrived in the United States with his family after losing the presidential runoff to incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. His departure comes amid investigations into alleged corruption and money laundering, including inquiries into suspected illegal betting links.
BY PC Bureau
October 28: Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro has arrived in Florida with his wife and two daughters following his defeat in Sunday’s presidential runoff against incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. This comes amid investigations into alleged corruption and money laundering, raising questions about whether he intends to remain outside Brazil as legal scrutiny intensifies.
Television footage showed the family disembarking at Miami’s Opa-locka Executive Airport. Later images showed them leaving the facility under umbrellas.
A source close to Bolsonaro said he feared arrest in Brazil. He faces investigations involving alleged corruption and money laundering, accusations he denies. One inquiry concerns suspected links to illegal online betting platforms. Another examines the financing of Dark Horse, a proposed biopic about his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro. Federal police suspect the project received funds linked to the collapse of Banco Master, which has been associated with an alleged large-scale financial fraud.
No arrest warrant had been issued when he left Brazil. However, legal analysts have noted that failure to comply with a court order to surrender his passports could provide grounds for further legal action.
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On Monday, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered Bolsonaro to surrender his passports within 24 hours. Bolsonaro said police personally informed him of the order and that he had been barred from leaving the country. In an Instagram video, he denied intending to flee Brazil. Brazilian Federal Police subsequently cancelled his passports after he failed to surrender them, according to local media reports.
US President Donald Trump approved Bolsonaro’s entry into the United States, a Trump adviser told CNN. Two US officials said visas were being issued to Bolsonaro and his family. Speaking to reporters, Trump said he would approve their entry, describing them as “fine people” and calling the Brazilian election “very strange”. It remains unclear whether the two leaders spoke directly before Bolsonaro’s departure.
Trump has previously questioned Lula’s victory, alleging without evidence that the election was rigged.
Bolsonaro’s journey also involved Argentina. Early Wednesday, Argentina’s immigration ministry said on X that Bolsonaro and his family had entered the country from Brazil late Tuesday with valid documents and no legal impediment to their entry. They subsequently boarded a flight bound for Guayaquil, Ecuador, according to the declared itinerary. The Argentine government had initially said it had no record of their arrival. Ecuador’s foreign affairs ministry was approached for comment.
Miami touchdown – Flavio Bolsonaro lands in US despite travel ban after Brazil election defeat
Flavio left Brazil two days after losing the runoff to Lula without conceding, traveling with his family through Argentina and Ecuador after ignoring a Supreme Court order to surrender his passports over a corruption and money-laundering investigation.
The Trump administration issued the family visas, with Brazilian President Lula calling the departure “shameful.”
— Viory Video (@vioryvideo) October 28, 2026
The reported route fuelled speculation after an Argentine media outlet said Bolsonaro had left Brazil through Argentina.
In the United States, Bolsonaro joins a group of Brazilian conservatives living abroad, including his brother Eduardo Bolsonaro, former intelligence chief Alexandre Ramagem and podcaster Paulo Figueiredo. Eduardo had suggested before the runoff that his brother should leave Brazil if he lost, though he later dismissed reports of Flávio’s departure as a “lie”.
The move recalls Jair Bolsonaro’s departure for Orlando, Florida, after losing the 2022 presidential election. His supporters subsequently stormed government buildings in Brasília in January 2023. Jair Bolsonaro was later sentenced to 27 years in prison over efforts to overturn the election result. Trump, who has supported the Bolsonaro family, imposed tariffs on Brazil for a period amid the dispute.
Lula, who defeated Flávio Bolsonaro by approximately 4.4 million votes, criticised the senator’s departure as “shameful”. He said the episode reflected the Bolsonaro family’s longstanding ties to the United States.
Flávio Bolsonaro initially refused to concede defeat and said his campaign would seek to annul the results. His Liberal Party subsequently recognised the outcome, although party president Valdemar Costa Neto said concerns raised by the party still required clarification.
The senator’s departure has also surprised members of his political camp. Campaign manager Rogerio Marinho said he had expected Bolsonaro, who received roughly 60 million votes, to remain in Brazil and lead the opposition.
Whether the senator intends to stay in the United States for an extended period remains unclear. His departure, however, places Brazil’s post-election political tensions alongside the legal investigations that could shape his future.
