Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro says he did not flee Brazil but left for the sake of Brazil.
The documented route shows he missed a Supreme Court deadline to hand over his passports, crossed into Argentina and flew via Ecuador to Miami, landing about 9:30am on Wednesday, 28 October 2026.
In his first statement since leaving, reported by the BBC via Yahoo, Bolsonaro said it was never his intention to leave my homeland.
Other outlets, including Courthouse News and NBC Miami, describe the trip as a flight from the country. Bolsonaro denies any wrongdoing in the investigations against him.
Bolsonaro Missed the Passport Deadline Set by the Court
Supreme Federal Court (STF) justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered Bolsonaro on Monday, 26 October, to surrender his ordinary and diplomatic passports to the Federal Police by 11am Tuesday, Globo reported. Globo says the order drew on a remark by his brother Eduardo Bolsonaro, who lives in the US, that Flávio should leave the country if he lost. The Guardian dates that interview to the previous Friday.
He did not comply, and his Brazilian documents were cancelled, CartaCapital reported. The outlet adds that after visiting his father on Monday, Bolsonaro had said he would hand them over and had no plan to leave.
NBC Miami cited a Brazilian diplomat speaking to the Associated Press: police were not monitoring him because the court had issued no arrest warrant. Courthouse News, by contrast, describes a court order barring him from leaving.
From Misiones to Opa-locka: How He Got Out
- Tuesday, 10:50pm: Bolsonaro, his wife and two daughters crossed the Tancredo Neves International Bridge into Misiones province with valid documents.
- About 11:30pm: they boarded a private jet at Puerto Iguazú, bound for Guayaquil, Ecuador.
- Wednesday morning: after a brief stop in Ecuador, the plane landed at Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport, about 9:30am local time.
Courthouse News and CartaCapital say he used his Italian passport. Outlets differ on small details: The Guardian calls the aircraft a Gulfstream IV, while Globo and CartaCapital say G400. The Guardian says the route avoided Brazilian airspace. Where he was between Monday evening and the border crossing remains unexplained, the Guardian noted.
On visas, the BBC says the US issued them after Brazil cancelled his passports. NBC Miami cites a senior State Department official confirming they were granted a day earlier, on Monday.
Defeated Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro and his family have landed in Miami after fleeing his country. This comes a day after they were granted United States visas by the Trump administration. pic.twitter.com/oB91ejWab5
A letter claiming the presidency, then edited
The Superior Electoral Court (TSE) says Lula won the runoff with 51.79% of valid votes, or 64.3 million, against Bolsonaro’s 48.21%, or 59.8 million, a margin of more than 4.4 million. Brazil’s electoral and supreme courts reject the fraud claim, the Guardian reported, and his own Partido Liberal recognised the result.
Bolsonaro pointed to the two-hour extension of voting. Courthouse News reports both campaigns requested it, and that the TSE counted only 34,393 votes after the usual 5pm closing, about 0.03% of the total.
:strip_icc()/i.s3.glbimg.com/v1/AUTH_63b422c2caee4269b8b34177e8876b93/internal_photos/bs/2026/N/0/KsJ0AiQJqaWaaCsP1X7w/ap26301633331243.jpg "Photo: valor.globo.com")
Lula Calls Departure Shameful as Trump Stays Out
Lula, who turned 81 on Tuesday, said: This act of leaving Brazil is shameful,
NBC Miami reported. President Donald Trump, asked about Bolsonaro’s claim, said he would not get involved, calling the vote a very strange election,
per Courthouse News. He said Bolsonaro and his family were treated very unfairly
and that he had not spoken with him.
Rodrigo Brandão, a constitutional law professor at Rio de Janeiro State University, told Courthouse News that the declaration is not protected by free speech and could invite further criminal investigation. Any challenge to election results must be made through the electoral courts,
he said.
Two STF Investigations Wait Beyond a 31 January Deadline
The BBC says Bolsonaro is the subject of two STF investigations. One concerns possible irregularities in a transfer of nearly $70m (£53m) from Banco Master to the film Dark Horse, a biopic of his father. The other concerns alleged money laundering. Both are allegations, not findings.
His eight-year Senate term ends on 31 January, and with it his parliamentary immunity, the BBC says. Courthouse News adds that under a 2025 Supreme Court ruling, cases tied to public office can stay before the court afterward.
The BBC says it is unclear what his ultimate destination will be or how long he plans to stay in the United States.
More on Flávio Bolsonaro
Flavio Bolsonaro declares himself the president of Brazil from Miami; thanks Milei for helping him escape and Trump for receiving him. https://t.co/SyfIZQLYXy
Miami touchdown – Flavio Bolsonaro lands in US despite travel ban after Brazil election defeatFlavio left Brazil two days after losing the runoff to Lula without conceding, traveling with his family through Argentina and Ecuador after ignoring a Supreme Court order to surrender… https://t.co/pgrekpCM30 pic.twitter.com/pT1nkY54AM