Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro and his family will receive United States visas following his defeat in the country’s presidential election over the weekend, a senior State Department official stated on Tuesday. Bolsonaro, an ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump, and his relatives will be permitted entry into the United States.
Bolsonaro departed Brazil for the United States after losing the runoff election to incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Sunday, according to multiple Brazilian media reports. A spokesperson for Bolsonaro did not respond to requests for comment, and his campaign manager, Rogério Marinho, also declined to comment.
President Lula criticized the departure sharply on Tuesday, calling the move shameful. Speaking to reporters, Lula stated that an individual who sneaks out of their country must have something to hide, adding that Brazil is treated as a secondary nation by the Bolsonaro family while the United States is treated as the first.
Bolsonaro’s brother, Eduardo Bolsonaro, who resides in Texas, had publicly encouraged him to leave the country in the event of an election loss. Eduardo Bolsonaro was convicted in absentia in June for illegally lobbying the Trump administration and sentenced to four years in prison, with an arrest warrant recently issued.
Donald Trump did not provide a full endorsement of Bolsonaro during the runoff against Lula, though he claimed on Monday without offering evidence that Brazil’s election was rigged. Bolsonaro has long touted his relationship with Trump and visited the White House in May.
Bolsonaro’s departure coincided with the expiration of a Tuesday noon deadline for him to surrender his regular and diplomatic passports, leaving it unclear whether he had complied. He was served with the sealed Supreme Court order on Monday outside the home where his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, is serving a 27-year sentence under house arrest for attempting a coup following his 2022 election defeat to Lula. Following the 2022 election, the elder Bolsonaro also fled to Florida before returning three months later.
Bolsonaro has refused to concede the election and made unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud. In Sunday’s runoff, Lula secured more than 64 million votes compared to fewer than 60 million for Bolsonaro, establishing a victory margin of nearly 4% on the day he turned 81 years old.
