Flávio Bolsonaro arrives in Miami amid looming fears of political persecution ​

Ex-presidential candidate in Brazil Flávio Bolsonaro has arrived in Miami amid fears left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva would wage a lawfare campaign against him.

Bolsonaro, whose whereabouts were unknown Tuesday, failed to surrender his passports in Brazil as ordered by Brazilian Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. Bolsonaro’s alleged route took him through Argentina and Ecuador to reach Miami after refusing to concede the election to Lula amid accusations of fraud.

'The election was really strange, and I thought it was terrible.'

The son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, Flávio landed at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport Wednesday morning with his wife and two daughters, the Associated Press reported.

Bolsonaro refused to concede the election to Lula, who won by about 4.4 million votes after a Lula-appointed justice, acting on a request from Lula's campaign, extended voting nationwide by two hours.

That same justice previously served as Lula's personal defense attorney. Justice Cristiano Zanin defended Lula beginning in 2013 and continued after corruption charges were filed against Lula three years later. Lula appointed him to the Supreme Federal Court in 2023.

The Bolsonaro family crossed into Argentina via land late Tuesday and later boarded a private plane, according to Argentine immigration officials. The plane believed to be carrying Bolsonaro briefly stopped in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and departed for Miami thereafter, according to CBS.

On Monday, Bolsonaro was served with an order from Brazil's court system to surrender his regular and diplomatic passports by noon the following day, according to The Hill.

Though his Brazilian passports have since been canceled, Bolsonaro reportedly holds an Italian passport as well. Bolsonaro entered the U.S. on his canceled diplomatic passport, according to Estadão. He used his Italian passport to leave Argentina, the paper reported.

"This act of leaving Brazil is shameful," Lula said Tuesday.

RELATED: Where in the world is Flávio Bolsonaro?

Where in the world is Flávio Bolsonaro? Arthur Menescal/Bloomberg/Getty Images

The State Department pledged to grant Bolsonaro and his family U.S. visas on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told Blaze News: "On October 28, 2026, Mr. Flávio Bolsonaro arrived in South Florida with his family and were met and inspected by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in accordance with applicable immigration laws and procedures. At the conclusion of the inspection, Mr. Bolsonaro and his accompanying family members were released."

President Donald Trump isn't convinced Bolsonaro was beaten fair and square.

"The election was really strange, and I thought it was terrible," Trump told reporters in Maryland on Tuesday.

Jair Bolsonaro also briefly withdrew to Florida after losing to Lula in 2022. He returned three months later, only to be arrested in 2025 on what conservative Brazilians say are politically motivated charges.

Trump agreed.

"Brazilian officials are also persecuting former President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro," reads Trump's July 2025 executive order slapping tariffs on Brazil, calling the case "drummed up prosecutions."

The Treasury Department sanctioned de Moraes that same month.

“Alexandre de Moraes has taken it upon himself to be judge and jury in an unlawful witch hunt against U.S. and Brazilian citizens and companies,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. “De Moraes is responsible for an oppressive campaign of censorship, arbitrary detentions that violate human rights, and politicized prosecutions — including against former President Jair Bolsonaro.”

“If I had won the election, would the same thing have happened?” Flávio Bolsonaro said Monday, according to JOTA.

The elder Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years in prison after his 2022 loss to Lula, though he has been moved to house arrest following a series of health issues. Bolsonaro was also the subject of an assassination attempt in 2018, where he was stabbed and critically injured.

The Brazilian Embassy directed Blaze News to Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs when reached for comment.

Bolsonaro's office and the White House did not respond to Blaze News' requests for comment.

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