Flavio Bolsonaro Reportedly Flees to U.S. Despite Travel Ban Following Election Loss
Defeated Brazilian candidate Flavio Bolsonaro has reportedly arrived in the U.S. after losing to Lula da Silva, defying a court-ordered travel ban.
POLICY WIRE — Washington, United States — Defeated right-wing presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro has reportedly departed Brazil for the United States, despite a standing court order that prohibited him from leaving the country. Media outlets including CNN and the Washington Post, citing unnamed sources, confirmed his arrival in the U.S. late Tuesday, October 27, 2026, though his specific location remains undisclosed.
The senator, son of the imprisoned former leader Jair Bolsonaro, suffered a defeat in the presidential election on Sunday, October 25, 2026, against incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Following the results, the younger Bolsonaro refused to concede the race. On Monday, October 26, 2026, he disclosed that a Supreme Court justice had mandated the surrender of his passports due to ongoing investigations into money laundering and corruption, which also threaten his parliamentary immunity.
While the U.S. State Department confirmed on Tuesday that it would issue visas to the Bolsonaro family, it did not verify his travel status. A police source informed AFP that the senator’s Brazilian and diplomatic passports had been invalidated, noting there is no formal record of his departure. However, documentation seen by AFP indicates that Flavio Bolsonaro has held Italian citizenship since 2023.
Rogerio Marinho, the candidate’s campaign manager, expressed surprise at the reports of his departure, stating in Brasilia on Tuesday that he had received only a single text message from the senator earlier that morning. President Lula, celebrating his 81st birthday, condemned the move as a shameful act, suggesting that fleeing the country implies the senator has something to hide.
In a video posted to Instagram on Monday, Flavio Bolsonaro had previously claimed the travel ban was merely a scare tactic, asserting he had no intention of leaving Brazil. Meanwhile, the Brazilian Supreme Court has ordered a police investigation into allegations of foreign funding and social media manipulation regarding his campaign. This follows complaints from the Lula camp regarding potential algorithmic interference by Meta, which the company has denied.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
