Miami welcomed a controversial foreign visitor on Wednesday when Flavio Bolsonaro, the defeated Brazilian presidential candidate and former senator, arrived at Opa‑Locka Executive Airport. Bolsonaro and his wife, Fernanda Antunes Figueira Bolsonaro, along with their two daughters, entered the United States on visas granted by the Trump administration, a senior State Department official confirmed to NBC News.
Flight path from Brazil to Miami
Argentina’s migration authority reported that the Bolsonaro family crossed the Tancredo Neves International Bridge into Misiones Province at 10:50 p.m. local time, presenting valid travel documents. After clearing Argentine immigration, they boarded a private charter operated by Baires Fly S.A. and departed for Guayaquil, Ecuador. Flight‑tracking data showed the aircraft landing in Guayaquil around 4 a.m. and taking off minutes later for Miami’s Opa‑Locka airport. While it was not confirmed whether Flavio Bolsonaro himself was on board, the timing aligns with the family’s reported itinerary.
Political fallout
The sudden departure is expected to deepen the diplomatic rift between Brazil’s newly reelected President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Argentine President Javier Milei, who had traveled to Brazil to support Bolsonaro’s campaign. Lula, speaking to supporters outside the presidential residence in Brasília, expressed regret that Bolsonaro left the country, calling the act “shameful” and suggesting he could have stayed to refute the accusations against him.
Bolsonaro faces two separate investigations by Brazil’s Supreme Court, including alleged corruption, money laundering and tax evasion, as well as accusations of using a sports‑betting company to launder fraudulent deductions from senior‑citizen pensions. A court order required him to surrender his Brazilian passports, and he was also reported to possess an Italian passport.
U.S. response
President Donald Trump, speaking at Joint Base Andrews after a campaign stop in Texas, said he would approve of Bolsonaro’s entry to the United States, describing the family as “fine people.” Trump added that the Brazilian election was “really strange” and “terrible,” but did not elaborate on any endorsement of the election results.
Reactions in Argentina and Brazil
Argentinian lawmaker Marcela Pagano filed a lawsuit in Puerto Iguazú seeking an investigation into alleged people‑smuggling and abuse of authority related to Bolsonaro’s entry. She warned that Argentina’s border is not a “VIP runway” and that sovereignty cannot be negotiated.
Meanwhile, Milei’s administration spokesman Adrián Ravier confirmed there was no asylum request from Bolsonaro and offered no further comment.
Implications for the Bolsonaro family
Flavio Bolsonaro, whose eight‑year Senate term ends on January 31, 2027, said in a video that he was working to organize opposition among congressional colleagues to the election results. His father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, is serving a 27‑year sentence under house arrest for an attempted coup following his 2022 loss to Lula.
The Bolsonaro family’s arrival in Miami underscores the complex interplay of international politics, immigration enforcement and the Trump administration’s willingness to grant visas to high‑profile foreign figures. Local officials and community leaders in South Florida will be watching closely as the situation develops.
Original reporting: NBC6 Miami — read the source article.
