Flavio Bolsonaro has arrived in Florida with his wife and two daughters, CNN Brasil reported, citing sources connected to the US government. According to SBT News, the senator has already met with his brother Eduardo Bolsonaro, who lives in the US.
The arrival took place on October 27, just a day after Flavio Bolsonaro said he would stay in Brazil to organize the opposition against re-elected President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. “I never thought of leaving the country. I will surrender my passports and defend myself against this absurdity,” he said in a video message quoted by the Associated Press.
The departure followed an order from Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes Flavio to surrender his ordinary and diplomatic passports to the Federal Police. The deadline expired at noon on Tuesday. According to Reuters, quoted by the Brasil Agency, the senator did not comply with the order and traveled to the United States.
Washington to issue visas to family
A senior U.S. State Department official said the department would issue visas to Flavio Bolsonaro and his family members and allow them to enter the country. The official spoke on condition of anonymity due to visa confidentiality rules.
The US decision was announced hours after conflicting reports emerged about the senator's whereabouts. It was initially not confirmed whether he had left Brazil. CNN Brasil and SBT News later reported that his arrival in Florida was confirmed by sources close to him.
The backdrop is the electoral defeat and the judicial investigation
Flavio Bolsonaro lost the presidential election to Lula da Silva, who received 51.8% of the vote and won by a lead of nearly 4.4 million votes. The senator has not officially admitted his defeat and has called for an investigation into allegations of electoral irregularities and the annulment of the result.
He is under investigation in Brazil for alleged money laundering. He and his lawyer, Viller Tomas, deny any wrongdoing. His flight from the country also comes against the backdrop of the expiration of his term as senator in early 2027, when he will also lose his special jurisdiction before the Supreme Court.
In this way, Flavio Bolsonaro followed the path of his father Jair Bolsonaro, who also left for the United States after losing the 2022 presidential election. Meanwhile, Eduardo Bolsonaro, who has been in the United States since February 2025, was sentenced in absentia by the Supreme Court of Brazil to four years and two months in prison for coercion in the context of judicial proceedings.
Sources: cnnbrasil.com.br, sbtnews.sbt.com.br, apnews.com