Flávio Bolsonaro Lands in Miami After Trump Backs U.S. Entry

Flávio Bolsonaro and his family landed in Miami after Trump approved his entry and U.S. officials said they would receive visas, resolving earlier uncertainty about the defeated Brazilian candidate’s destination.

Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro and his family landed in Miami on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, after President Donald Trump publicly backed allowing the defeated presidential candidate into the United States. Reuters and CBS News, whose report included Associated Press material, both confirmed the Miami arrival. A senior State Department official had said Bolsonaro, his wife and their two daughters would receive U.S. visas.

The landing is a material development from earlier Wednesday, when Trump had approved Bolsonaro’s entry but public accounts placed the family on a private flight whose filed destination was Guayaquil, Ecuador. Trump told reporters that Bolsonaro’s admission would be acceptable to him. At that point, it had not been established that Bolsonaro had reached the United States.

The family traveled through Argentina and Ecuador

Bolsonaro left Brazil after losing Sunday’s presidential runoff to incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Argentina’s National Directorate of Migration said the senator, his wife and two daughters entered Argentina with valid documents on Tuesday night and then boarded a private aircraft with Guayaquil listed in its flight plan.

CBS reported that the family later landed in Miami on Wednesday morning. Reuters separately reported the Miami arrival. The reporting establishes that their aircraft reached the United States; it does not show that Bolsonaro has requested asylum, obtained any special legal protection or received a status beyond the visas U.S. officials said would be issued.

The trip followed a Brazilian passport order

Bolsonaro’s departure came as a deadline expired for him to surrender his regular and diplomatic passports. CBS and the Associated Press reported that a sealed Brazilian Supreme Court order was issued Sunday and served on him Monday. It remained unclear from the public reporting whether he complied before leaving Brazil.

Argentine authorities said the documents the family presented while crossing into Argentina were valid and that there was no recorded legal impediment to their passage. That does not resolve how Brazilian courts may assess the timing of the departure or any failure to comply with the passport order. A visa and arrival in the United States also do not erase obligations imposed by a foreign court.

Trump’s support helped clear the U.S. path

Bolsonaro has emphasized his alliance with Trump and visited the White House in May. The Trump administration’s decision to issue visas, followed by the president’s personal endorsement, removed uncertainty about whether Washington would permit the family to travel to the United States. Trump had also called Brazil’s election “rigged” without presenting evidence.

Lula received more than 64 million votes in the runoff, compared with fewer than 60 million for Bolsonaro, a margin of nearly four percentage points. Bolsonaro initially refused to concede and made unsupported fraud claims. Brazil’s electoral authority recognized Lula’s victory, and no verified evidence has been presented that fraud changed the result.

What remains unresolved

The arrival answers the immediate question of Bolsonaro’s destination but not his longer-term legal position. Public reporting had not established whether he planned to remain in Florida, seek another immigration status or return to Brazil. Brazilian authorities may also clarify whether his departure violated the passport order. Those are separate questions from Trump’s political approval and the State Department’s visa decision.

Sources and image credit

The family traveled through Argentina and Ecuador

The trip followed a Brazilian passport order

Trump’s support helped clear the U.S. path

What remains unresolved