Flavio Bolsonaro Arrives in Miami After Fleeing Brazil

Flavio Bolsonaro Miami arrival ended days of uncertainty on Wednesday, October 28, when the defeated Brazilian presidential candidate landed in Florida with his family after leaving Brazil following his loss in the October 25 runoff election. Photographs from the scene showed Bolsonaro and family members leaving an aircraft at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport in Miami-Dade County, according to USA Today and other reports from the arrival.

Bolsonaro, a Brazilian senator and an ally of United States President Donald Trump, had been banned from leaving Brazil and ordered to surrender his passport by a Brazilian judge shortly after losing the runoff, according to the reports. The court order came as part of a criminal investigation into Bolsonaro’s alleged involvement in a money laundering scheme, USA Today reported.

The State Department said on October 27 that it would issue visas to Bolsonaro and his family and allow them to enter the United States, according to USA Today. President Trump said late Tuesday that he would approve of Bolsonaro taking refuge in the United States, the New York Post reported.

“Well, I would approve,” Trump told reporters, according to the Post. “The election was very strange, and I thought it was terrible.” Trump added that he knew both Bolsonaro and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and said he was not involved in the election.

Flavio Bolsonaro Miami journey followed a disputed runoff loss

Bolsonaro lost the second round of Brazil’s presidential election on October 25 to Lula, according to USA Today. The result was described as a surprise after Bolsonaro emerged as the leading candidate in the first round and was widely favoured to defeat Lula, who is 81.

Bolsonaro’s whereabouts were unclear for much of October 27. Argentina’s migration department said Bolsonaro crossed into Argentina from Brazil at 10:50 p.m. local time with his wife and two daughters through the Tancredo Neves International Bridge border crossing, USA Today reported. The department added that Bolsonaro and his family boarded a private flight from Argentina to Ecuador at 11:30 p.m.

His younger brother Eduardo Bolsonaro, who has lived in Texas since 2025, had suggested during an October 23 appearance on the “Louder with Crowder” podcast that his sibling should flee Brazil if he did not win the election, according to USA Today. The comments reportedly prompted Brazilian authorities to order Flavio Bolsonaro to surrender his passport.

Bolsonaro had won the first round of voting earlier in October, but Lula staged a comeback in the runoff, the New York Post reported. Both candidates had petitioned for a nationwide extension of voting due to concerns about transportation issues causing interruptions, according to the Post.

Why the case matters in Brazil and Washington

The arrival in Miami raises questions on two fronts: what happens next in the Brazilian criminal investigation, and how the United States handles the presence of a defeated foreign presidential candidate who left his country under a court order.

Bolsonaro’s father, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, was defeated by Lula in 2022, and Trump had been close to the elder Bolsonaro, according to the New York Post. Eduardo Bolsonaro had already been living in the United States before his brother’s arrival.

In Brazil, Lula criticised Bolsonaro’s exit, calling it shameful, according to Al Jazeera’s live coverage. Bolsonaro’s former campaign manager denied knowledge of the senator’s plan to flee Brazil, Al Jazeera also reported.

For now, the facts established by reporting are narrow but significant: a court order to surrender passports, a departure through Argentina, a United States decision to grant visas, and a landing in Miami. What Brazilian authorities do next, and whether they seek Bolsonaro’s return, remains unclear.

What to watch next

• Whether Brazilian prosecutors or courts take further steps in the money laundering investigation.
• Whether the United States government provides further detail on the visas granted to Bolsonaro and his family.
• How Lula’s government responds publicly and diplomatically to Bolsonaro’s presence in Florida.
• Whether Bolsonaro makes a public statement about his departure or his plans in the United States.

Until those questions are answered, the Miami arrival stands as the latest turn in a Brazilian election that began with Bolsonaro leading the first round and ended, within days, with his departure from the country and his arrival in the United States.