Flavio Bolsonaro and Family Granted U.S. Visas After Fleeing Brazil
The State Department has issued visas to the son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and his family, allowing them entry into the United States.
Flavio Bolsonaro and his family have been granted visas to enter the United States following their departure from Brazil. The State Department confirmed the issuance of the visas, though the family's current whereabouts remain undisclosed.
Bolsonaro, who was considered a frontrunner, lost Brazil's presidential election to incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in a surprising outcome. Following the election, former President Donald Trump publicly questioned the integrity of the Brazilian election, calling it "another rigged election."
Bolsonaro's departure from Brazil, accompanied by his wife and two daughters, occurred a day after Brazilian police requested he surrender his passport as part of ongoing investigations into alleged corruption, money laundering, and tax evasion. Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoing, asserting that the investigations are politically motivated.
A senior official with the Brazilian Federal Police indicated that Bolsonaro did not leave the country through any standard border crossing.
Flavio Bolsonaro's father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, also relocated to the U.S. after refusing to concede his 2022 election loss to Lula. Jair Bolsonaro has since returned to Brazil, where he was later sentenced to over 27 years in prison for plotting a coup and is currently under house arrest.
While Flavio Bolsonaro has not officially conceded defeat and has expressed intentions to seek the annulment of the election results due to alleged irregularities, his Liberal Party has acknowledged Lula's victory. Flavio's brother, Eduardo Bolsonaro, resides in the U.S. and has maintained close ties with the Trump administration.
Flavio Bolsonaro, the eldest son, has been active in politics since completing law school and was elected senator in 2019. He is widely regarded as his father's political successor. Lula received over 64 million votes in the recent election, compared to fewer than 60 million for Flavio Bolsonaro, marking a margin of nearly 4%.