Flavio Bolsonaro Lands in Miami After Brazil Exit
The defeated presidential candidate arrived in the United States following a multi-country journey that bypassed a Supreme Court order to surrender his passports.
By Noor Morgan ·
Flavio Bolsonaro, the defeated Brazilian presidential candidate, landed at Miami Opa Locka Executive Airport on the morning of Wednesday, April 28, 2026. He arrived with his wife, Fernanda Antunes Figueira Bolsonaro, and their two daughters, Carolina and Luiza, after a rapid departure from South America.
The family entered Argentina at 10:50 p.m. local time on Tuesday via the Tancredo Neves International Bridge in Misiones province. Argentine migration authorities stated that the group held valid travel documents and faced no legal bars to entry. Within forty minutes, the four boarded a private charter operated by Baires Fly SA bound for Guayaquil, Ecuador.
FlightRadar24 data indicates the aircraft touched down in Guayaquil around 4:00 a.m. local time before immediately taking off for Miami. It remains unconfirmed whether Bolsonaro was aboard the final leg to the United States, though his arrival in Florida has been confirmed.
Bolsonaro, 45, left Brazil after losing the presidential election to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva by a margin of approximately 4.4 million votes. The Supreme Court had ordered him to surrender his ordinary and diplomatic passports by noon on Tuesday. His allies indicated on Tuesday night that he also possesses an Italian passport, though it is unclear if he used it.
The senator faces investigations for alleged corruption, money laundering, and tax evasion in two separate cases. One probe examines the use of a sports betting company to process fraudulent pension deductions for elderly citizens. The other involves millions of dollars received from a fallen banker. Bolsonaro stated in a video on Monday that he was organizing congressional opposition to the results before his eight-year term ends on January 31, 2027.
President Lula, who turned 81 on Tuesday, addressed supporters in Brasilia and called the departure vergonzoso, or shameful. He said he lacked precise information on Bolsonaro's location but confirmed the former senator had left the country. "I regret he left Brazil because he could have stayed and proven the accusations are not true," Lula said.
Paulo Figueiredo, a close ally residing in the United States, announced that Bolsonaro is well, safe, and resting with his family. Figueiredo scheduled a press conference in Miami for Thursday. President Donald Trump, speaking at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, approved the visit and described Bolsonaro and his family as good people. Trump characterized the Brazilian elections as really strange and terrible, noting he did not support the electoral results.
Argentina's government spokesman, Adrian Ravier, stated on Tuesday that there is no asylum request from Bolsonaro. The move is expected to strain diplomatic relations between Lula and Argentine President Javier Milei, a Trump ally who campaigned for Bolsonaro. Jair Bolsonaro, Flavio's father, is under house arrest in Brazil serving a 27-year sentence for attempting a coup after his 2022 loss.
Source: KTVW-DT
