Bolsonaro reaches Miami after disputed departure from Brazil

Flávio Bolsonaro arrived at a Miami-area airport on Wednesday after a private, multi-country journey out of Brazil, where he had lost Sunday’s presidential runoff to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. His wife and two daughters travelled with him. The departure followed a Supreme Court order requiring Bolsonaro to surrender his regular and diplomatic passports in connection with a criminal investigation.

Brazil had cancelled the documents after he failed to meet a deadline, while Bolsonaro denied wrongdoing and described the case as political persecution. Bolsonaro said he had not fled Brazil. In a statement after reaching the United States, he said it had never been his intention to leave his homeland but that he had departed “for the sake of Brazil”.

He said he wanted to protect his family and become the leader his supporters deserved. He also challenged the election result. Bolsonaro first described himself as the elected president, then deleted the statement and called himself Brazil’s leader.

He alleged electoral fraud and a coup without providing evidence. Lula won the runoff by more than four million votes, and Brazil’s electoral institutions and international observers endorsed the result. Bolsonaro’s party has recognised Lula’s victory.

The family’s route was initially unclear. Argentine migration authorities later said Bolsonaro, his wife and daughters had crossed into Argentina by land with valid travel documents. They then boarded a private aircraft at Puerto Iguazú for Guayaquil, Ecuador.

After a brief stop, the aircraft continued to Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport, where they were seen leaving under escort. The United States said it would issue visas to Bolsonaro and his family. President Donald Trump, who has expressed sympathy for the Bolsonaro family and questioned the Brazilian election, said the United States had allowed them into the country.

But when asked about Bolsonaro’s latest allegations, Trump declined to become involved, repeating that the election had been “very strange”. The episode has caused political friction between Brasília and Washington. Lula has accused the Trump administration of colluding with the Bolsonaro family, an allegation Washington denies.

Lula criticised Flávio Bolsonaro’s departure and said people who had nothing to hide should face scrutiny rather than leave. Bolsonaro’s exit also revived memories of his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, travelling to Florida after refusing to concede defeat in 2022. The younger Bolsonaro faces investigations into alleged corruption, money laundering and tax evasion and is expected to lose parliamentary immunity when his Senate term ends.

His supporters portray the proceedings as persecution, while Brazilian authorities have not accepted his claims that the election was stolen.