The State Department has confirmed that Brazilian Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro and his family will receive U.S. visas following his presidential election loss, as reports indicate he left Brazil despite a Supreme Court order requiring him to surrender his passports amid criminal investigations.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The Trump administration will grant U.S. visas to defeated Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro and his family, a senior State Department official confirmed Tuesday, as Brazilian authorities investigate his reported departure from the country in defiance of a judicial travel restriction.
The decision follows Bolsonaro’s loss to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil’s Oct. 25 presidential runoff and comes amid investigations involving allegations of corruption, money laundering and tax evasion.
A senior State Department official confirmed the visa decision to The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because of federal visa privacy laws.
The official said the department would issue visas to Bolsonaro and his family and permit their entry into the United States.
The announcement did not establish whether the visas had already been issued or whether the family had formally entered the country.
However, three sources told Reuters on Oct. 27 that Bolsonaro had departed Brazil for the United States. One source close to his family said he had arrived in Florida but declined to disclose his precise location.
Bolsonaro reportedly left after failing to comply with a Brazilian Supreme Court directive requiring him to surrender his regular and diplomatic passports.
The order was issued as part of an investigation into suspected money laundering. Bolsonaro denies wrongdoing and maintains that the investigations against him are politically motivated.
Brazilian authorities have not publicly confirmed the circumstances of his departure or how he may have crossed an international border.
Earlier reports suggested that Bolsonaro traveled through Argentina before continuing to the United States, but Argentine immigration officials said they had no record of his entry.
The conflicting accounts have complicated efforts to establish his precise movements following the election.
The visa announcement represents a significant development in relations between Washington and Brasília, particularly given President Donald Trump’s longstanding support for the Bolsonaro family.
Trump has repeatedly criticized the prosecution of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Flávio’s father, who was convicted for his involvement in a plot to overturn the results of Brazil’s 2022 presidential election.
The former president was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison.
Trump has characterized the elder Bolsonaro’s prosecution as politically motivated, while Brazilian authorities have maintained that the proceedings concerned criminal conduct and attempts to undermine the country’s democratic institutions.
Flávio Bolsonaro, a senator since 2019, entered the presidential race as a leading conservative opposition figure and political successor to his father.
His campaign emphasized conservative economic policies, public security and opposition to Lula’s administration.
The Oct. 25 runoff ended with Lula receiving more than 64 million votes, compared with fewer than 60 million for Bolsonaro, according to Brazilian election results.
The margin was approximately four percentage points.
Bolsonaro initially refused to concede defeat and alleged electoral irregularities, although he did not present publicly substantiated evidence establishing that fraud changed the outcome.
His Liberal Party subsequently acknowledged Lula’s victory.
The senator’s reported departure came shortly after the court ordered him to surrender his passports, raising questions about whether he violated Brazilian judicial restrictions.
Bolsonaro has not been convicted in the criminal investigations currently involving him.
His legal representatives have challenged the allegations, while Brazilian investigators continue examining financial transactions and other matters connected to the senator.
The United States’ decision to grant visas does not resolve those investigations or automatically provide political asylum.
A visa generally permits a foreign national to seek admission to the United States under applicable immigration rules, while asylum involves a separate legal process and eligibility requirements.
The State Department has not publicly announced that Bolsonaro or his family have received asylum.
The senator’s brother, Eduardo Bolsonaro, already lives in Texas and has maintained close relationships with conservative political figures in the United States.
Eduardo previously encouraged Flávio to leave Brazil if he lost the presidential election, arguing that remaining in the country could expose him to politically motivated legal proceedings.
According to CBS News, Bolsonaro’s spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment, while campaign manager Sen. Rogério Marinho declined to discuss his whereabouts.
President Trump has also questioned the legitimacy of Brazil’s election without presenting evidence that the official results were invalid.
The State Department’s decision comes as the two governments remain divided over the Bolsonaro family’s legal troubles and broader questions involving judicial authority and political opposition in Brazil.
For Washington, issuing visas would provide Bolsonaro and his family with a legal means of entering the United States.
For Brazilian authorities, the decision does not eliminate questions surrounding the senator’s reported failure to comply with the Supreme Court’s passport order.
As of Wednesday, Oct. 28, Bolsonaro’s precise whereabouts had not been officially established, although multiple reports indicated he had traveled to the United States.
The confirmed development is the Trump administration’s commitment to grant visas to the senator and his family, while the circumstances of his departure and the status of the investigations against him remain unresolved.
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