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Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro and his family arrived in Miami aboard a private jet on October 28, 2026, after traveling overland from Brazil into Argentina and then flying via a refueling stop in Ecuador. According to Reuters, the journey followed days of uncertainty about his location after his defeat in Sunday’s presidential election, with flight records confirming the landing at Opa-Locka Executive Airport. A senior U.S. State Department official confirmed that visas would be issued to Bolsonaro, his wife and two daughters, a step that ended speculation about his immediate destination.
The defeated candidate had been widely expected to prevail but lost to incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva by roughly four million votes in the runoff, a result his own party ultimately acknowledged despite his refusal to concede. According to the OCCRP, Bolsonaro had secured more than 59 million votes in the fiercely contested ballot before departing Brazil three days later. His exit came as authorities moved to restrict his travel in connection with pending criminal inquiries.
One investigation before Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court examines possible irregularities in the transfer of nearly $70 million from private bank Banco Master to the production of “Dark Horse,” a biographical film about his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro. A separate probe addresses alleged money laundering, including suspected ties to a $905 million scheme involving sports betting companies and lawyer Willer Tomaz, who has also faced scrutiny. Bolsonaro has denied any wrongdoing in both cases, maintaining that his actions involved private financing without public funds.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered Bolsonaro to surrender his Brazilian and diplomatic passports by noon on October 28 after federal police warned of a flight risk, but the senator left the country without complying and his documents were subsequently canceled. The OCCRP reported that the inquiries intensified after leaked audio emerged in which Bolsonaro allegedly pressed banker Daniel Vorcaro for millions to support the film project. Investigators have alleged that portions of the funds were diverted to U.S. accounts linked to the family, though no charges have been filed against him.
President Donald Trump indicated he would approve Bolsonaro’s entry into the United States, aligning with a State Department decision that cited existing family connections in Florida, home to the largest Brazilian expatriate community in the country. Al Jazeera noted that the move echoes the path taken by his father, Jair Bolsonaro, who traveled to Florida after losing the 2022 election and now serves a 27-year sentence under house arrest for his role in an attempted coup. The younger Bolsonaro is set to lose parliamentary immunity when his Senate term concludes on January 31, 2027.
Lula criticized the departure, stating that those with nothing to hide have nothing to fear, while allies of Bolsonaro have described the probes as political persecution. According to multiple reports including from Reuters, the senator visited his father before leaving Brazil and maintains he holds an Italian passport that was not subject to the Brazilian order. The developments leave the two Supreme Court cases unresolved as Bolsonaro’s location in the U.S. raises questions about potential extradition under the bilateral treaty between the nations.
