In short
- Argentina’s National Directorate of Migration said Flávio Bolsonaro, his wife and two daughters entered Argentina over the Tancredo Neves International Bridge in Misiones province and boarded a private flight to Guayaquil, Ecuador, at 11.30pm on Tuesday.
- Metrópoles reported, citing people close to the family, that Bolsonaro would land in Florida and planned to request political asylum in the United States.
- A supreme court justice cancelled Bolsonaro’s passport minutes after Sunday’s election result, and he missed an 11am Tuesday deadline to hand it to the federal police.
- Brazil’s federal police are investigating Bolsonaro over possible involvement in a money-laundering scheme worth about £680m ($905m) involving betting companies.
- Jair Bolsonaro is under house arrest for attempting a coup, and his son Eduardo Bolsonaro faces an outstanding arrest warrant in Brazil.
Brazil’s far-right senator Flávio Bolsonaro left the country after losing Sunday’s presidential election to incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Argentina’s National Directorate of Migration confirmed. The agency said Bolsonaro, his wife and two daughters crossed into Argentina and boarded a private flight to Ecuador on Tuesday night.
What did Argentina’s migration agency say?
The National Directorate of Migration said Bolsonaro, his wife and two daughters entered Argentina over the Tancredo Neves International Bridge, in Misiones province, and boarded a private flight at 11.30pm on Tuesday. “They did so with valid travel documentation and without any legal impediment to entering the country,” the agency said on X. It said the flight, operated by Baires Fly SA, was bound for Guayaquil, 260km (160 miles) south-west of Quito.
Where is Flávio Bolsonaro heading?
Metrópoles, citing people close to the family, reported that Bolsonaro was flying to the United States and would land in Florida on Tuesday afternoon to request political asylum. “The Donald Trump administration has been informed,” the website reported. Allies told Folha de S Paulo the escape plan had been “organized and enabled by a lawyer close to the Bolsonaro clan”. A US State Department spokesperson said the family would be granted visas “to allow them entry into the United States”. The departure followed an election result that dented Trump’s plan for a right-leaning Latin America.
How did he leave Brazil?
There is no record of Bolsonaro passing through a regular Brazilian immigration checkpoint, and the federal police are seeking to establish from Argentinian authorities whether there is any record of his entry. The Argentinian channel Todo Noticias reported that he crossed the border on foot and abandoned plans to board a private jet in Puerto Iguazú once news of his movements leaked.
What did Lula say?
Lula, speaking at an event in Brasília marking his 81st birthday, called the departure “shameful”. “This is what the family Bolsonaro are like. Brazil is their second homeland. Their first homeland is licking the boots of the US,” he said. “He who owes nothing, fears nothing. A citizen who sneaks out of his country owes something.”
Why was his passport cancelled?
A supreme court justice cancelled Bolsonaro’s passport minutes after Sunday’s result, in a ruling related to a criminal case against him, and he missed an 11am Tuesday deadline to hand it to the federal police. The federal police are investigating his possible involvement in a money-laundering scheme worth about £680m ($905m) involving betting companies. Bolsonaro, who has held Italian citizenship since 2023 and reportedly has an Italian passport, has yet to concede defeat to Lula. In a video posted on Monday he said: “I never thought about leaving the country.”
What next for the Bolsonaro family?
Jair Bolsonaro, the family patriarch, is under house arrest for attempting a coup. Eduardo Bolsonaro, a former congressman, is in self-imposed exile in the US and faces an outstanding arrest warrant in Brazil after being sentenced to four years in prison for trying to interfere in his father’s trial. Lawmakers from Lula’s Workers’ party asked the supreme court to order Flávio Bolsonaro’s arrest and requested that his name be added to Interpol’s Red Notices list. The episode adds to uncertainty over the far right’s future; its support includes working-class voters in Osasco who shifted from Lula to Bolsonaro.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Flávio Bolsonaro now?
He is reported to be heading to the United States. Argentina’s National Directorate of Migration confirmed he crossed into Argentina by land and boarded a private flight to Guayaquil, Ecuador, while Metrópoles reported he would land in Florida to request asylum.
Why was Flávio Bolsonaro’s passport cancelled?
A supreme court justice cancelled it minutes after Sunday’s election result in a ruling related to a criminal case against him. He had until 11am on Tuesday to surrender it to the federal police and did not appear.
Who won Brazil’s presidential election?
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, the incumbent, defeated Flávio Bolsonaro in Sunday’s vote. Bolsonaro has not conceded defeat.
Has the United States said it will admit him?
A US State Department spokesperson said Bolsonaro and his family would be granted visas “to allow them entry into the United States”.
With reporting from The Guardian.
