U.S. Grants Entry to Flávio Bolsonaro After Brazilian Presidential Loss

Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro and his family have secured U.S. visas, allowing them entry into the country after he lost the presidential election on Sunday. A senior State Department official confirmed the decision to CBS News on Tuesday, noting that the senator and his relatives will be permitted to cross the border.

Bolsonaro left Brazil for the United States immediately following his defeat by incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Multiple Brazilian media outlets reported his departure. The move came after a deadline for Bolsonaro to surrender his regular and diplomatic passports expired at noon on Tuesday. It remained unclear whether he had complied with the order before leaving the country.

The senator was served with the passport surrender order on Monday, one day after his loss. Bolsonaro stated that he received the documents outside the home where his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, is serving a 27-year sentence under house arrest. Jair Bolsonaro was sentenced for attempting a coup after his own 2022 election defeat to Lula. After losing in 2022, the former president fled to Florida and returned to Brazil three months later.

A sealed Supreme Court order issued on Sunday mandated the passport surrender. Flávio Bolsonaro has refused to concede defeat and has raised unsubstantiated allegations of election fraud. A spokesperson for the senator did not respond to a request for comment, and his campaign manager, Rogério Marinho, also declined to speak.

Eduardo Bolsonaro, Flávio's brother who resides in Texas, had publicly advised him to leave Brazil if he lost. Eduardo was convicted in absentia in June of illegally lobbying the Trump administration and sentenced to four years in prison. A warrant for his arrest was recently issued. Flávio Bolsonaro visited the White House in May and has cited his relationship with President Trump, though Trump did not offer a full endorsement for the race.

President Trump suggested on Monday that Brazil's election was rigged, without providing supporting evidence. Lula, who turned 81 on Tuesday, received more than 64 million votes in the election. Bolsonaro received fewer than 60 million votes, resulting in a margin of nearly 4 percent.