Flavio Bolsonaro lands in Miami after exiting Brazil via Argentina and Ecuador

Defeated Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro and his family arrived in Miami on Wednesday morning after leaving Brazil. He had refused to concede the election to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and fled the country earlier in the week. The 45-year-old senator stepped off a private plane at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport around 9:30 a.m. ET, wearing a dark polo shirt. His wife and two daughters were with him.

The family departed Brazil late Tuesday. They crossed into Argentina through a border checkpoint and boarded a private charter flight, according to Argentinian immigration officials. Flight data indicates the plane landed in Guayaquil, Ecuador, at 4 a.m. local time. It took off shortly after for Florida. Brazil is home to the largest population of Brazilians in the United States, making Florida a common destination for political figures.

Bolsonaro is under investigation by Brazil's Supreme Court for corruption, money laundering, and tax evasion. The court ordered him to hand over his regular and diplomatic passports by noon Tuesday. It was unclear if he complied with that order. Allies stated he holds an Italian passport. A Brazilian diplomat told the Associated Press that Bolsonaro used the Italian passport to enter Argentina. The diplomat noted that Brazilian authorities do not scrutinize citizens leaving via land borders. Federal police were not monitoring him when he left his home in Brasilia because the court had not issued an arrest warrant.

The U.S. State Department approved visas for Bolsonaro and his family this week. President Donald Trump, a close ally, said the family is welcome in the United States. Trump called Bolsonaro and his family 'fine people.' He told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on Tuesday that the Brazilian election was 'really strange' and 'terrible.' Trump also claimed without evidence that the vote was rigged. Leaders around the world and the Organization of American States have endorsed the result.

Lula, who turned 81 on Tuesday, spoke to supporters outside the presidential residence in Brasilia before the family landed in Florida. He expressed regret that Bolsonaro left, stating the senator could have stayed to prove the accusations were not true. Lula called the act of leaving Brazil 'shameful.' Lula won the presidential runoff on Sunday by a margin of about 4.4 million votes in the second and final round.

The route through Argentina may strain relations between Brazil and Argentine President Javier Milei. Milei is another Trump ally who traveled to Brazil to help Bolsonaro's campaign. Juan Pablo Carreira, a spokesperson for the Milei administration, said on social media that the government rescued Bolsonaro from the claws of communism. He added that communism seeks to imprison all opposition figures. Milei has not commented directly on the defeat. Representatives of the Brazilian government have not responded to requests for comment.

Bolsonaro visited his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, before leaving. Jair Bolsonaro is under house arrest for an attempted coup following his 2022 election loss. He is serving a 27-year prison sentence. Flavio Bolsonaro said in a video on Monday that he was trying to organize opposition among congressional colleagues. His eight-year term as a senator ends on January 31, 2027.

The Supreme Court investigation alleges Bolsonaro used a sports betting company to launder fraudulent deductions from government pensions. In a separate case, he is accused of accepting millions of dollars from a disgraced banker. Bolsonaro has denied wrongdoing. The U.S. has imposed double-digit sanctions on Brazil, the largest economy in Latin America. Lula has cultivated ties with China and sought greater global influence through the BRICS group of emerging economies.