By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Brazilian Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, has left Brazil for the United States following his defeat in Sunday’s presidential runoff election against socialist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, according to multiple reports published Tuesday.
Three sources confirmed Bolsonaro’s departure to Reuters on Oct. 27. One source close to the Bolsonaro family said the former presidential candidate had already arrived in the United States, although the source declined to disclose his location.
The source also claimed that President Donald Trump’s administration had granted asylum to Bolsonaro and his immediate family. U.S. authorities had not publicly confirmed any asylum arrangement.
The development follows a Brazilian Supreme Court order requiring Bolsonaro to surrender his regular and diplomatic passports within 24 hours as part of an ongoing money laundering investigation.
Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes issued the order Monday, one day after Bolsonaro lost the Oct. 25 presidential runoff to Lula.
Bolsonaro failed to meet Tuesday’s deadline, and Brazilian federal authorities subsequently canceled his passports.
It remains unclear how he departed Brazil despite the travel restriction.
A senior Brazilian Federal Police official told Reuters that Bolsonaro had not passed through an official immigration checkpoint, raising questions about the circumstances of his departure.
Earlier Tuesday, Argentine media reported that Bolsonaro had crossed into Argentina near Puerto Iguazú, with plans to board a private aircraft bound for the United States.
However, Argentine authorities said they had no immigration record confirming his entry into the country.
Reports from Brazil and Argentina subsequently indicated that the senator had continued toward the United States, although the precise route remained unverified.
CNN reported that two sources confirmed Bolsonaro’s departure, including a U.S. official who said the senator was flying to Florida.
The reports marked a significant change from Monday, when Bolsonaro publicly insisted he would remain in Brazil and contest the legal proceedings.
“I have never thought about leaving the country,” Bolsonaro said. “I will hand over my passports and defend myself against this travesty, which is a clear attempt to intimidate me.”
Bolsonaro has denied wrongdoing in the money laundering investigation and characterized the judicial proceedings against him as politically motivated.
His departure follows a closely contested presidential election in which Lula secured reelection by approximately 4.4 million votes.
Bolsonaro initially refused to concede and called for the results to be annulled, alleging irregularities in the voting process. Those allegations have not been substantiated.
His Liberal Party subsequently acknowledged Lula’s victory.
The former presidential candidate faces multiple investigations involving allegations of money laundering, corruption and financial misconduct.
One investigation concerns alleged financial connections to a businessman associated with the Brazilian betting industry. Another involves accusations related to financial transfers from a banker under investigation.
Bolsonaro denies the allegations.
His departure could complicate those proceedings, particularly as he approaches the end of his Senate term in January 2027.
The legal developments have also intensified political tensions between Brazil’s left-wing government and supporters of the Bolsonaro family.
The senator’s father, Jair Bolsonaro, was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison following his conviction for involvement in an attempted coup after losing the 2022 presidential election. He remains under house arrest.
Jair Bolsonaro also traveled to Florida after his 2022 election defeat before returning to Brazil several months later.
Flávio Bolsonaro’s brother Eduardo already resides in the United States, where he has maintained political contacts with conservative organizations and members of the Trump administration.
Before Sunday’s election, Eduardo publicly suggested that his brother should leave Brazil if he lost.
“If my brother does not win, I’m in favor that he would leave the country,” Eduardo told commentator Steven Crowder earlier this month.
President Trump has repeatedly criticized the Brazilian judiciary’s treatment of the Bolsonaro family and previously described the legal proceedings against Jair Bolsonaro as political persecution.
Following Sunday’s election, Trump questioned the legitimacy of Lula’s victory, saying the vote “looked like another rigged election.”
He did not provide evidence supporting that allegation.
The reported departure of Flávio Bolsonaro now raises additional diplomatic questions between Washington and Brasília.
Lula has previously accused the United States of interfering in Brazil’s domestic politics, while the Trump administration has criticized Brazilian judicial actions involving conservative political figures.
According to Associated Press reporting carried by NBC Miami, Bolsonaro’s spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment, while his campaign manager, Sen. Rogério Marinho, declined to discuss the reports.
Brazilian officials also had not publicly confirmed the senator’s whereabouts.
Brazilian Minister of Institutional Relations José Guimarães said he had received no official confirmation from federal police or other government authorities regarding Bolsonaro’s location.
The claim that Washington has granted political asylum remains unverified, and neither the U.S. Embassy in Brazil nor Bolsonaro’s attorney had publicly confirmed such an arrangement.
Nevertheless, reports from Reuters, CNN and Brazilian news organizations now indicate that the senator departed Brazil for the United States after the Supreme Court imposed travel restrictions.
The development places a defeated presidential candidate facing criminal investigations outside Brazil’s jurisdiction while leaving unresolved whether he entered the United States legally, obtained immigration protection or intends to return.
For the Bolsonaro family, his reported arrival marks another chapter in its conflict with Brazil’s judiciary and Lula’s government.
For Brazilian authorities, the immediate questions concern how the senator left the country after receiving a judicial travel ban and whether additional legal measures will follow his failure to surrender his passports.
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