Defeated Brazilian presidential candidate and Senator Flavio Bolsonaro and his family arrived in Miami, Florida, on Wednesday morning at the Miami-Opa Locka Executive Airport. Bolsonaro fled the country via Argentina after Brazilian authorities canceled his passport and ordered him to surrender it. The Trump administration granted visas to the 45-year-old senator and his family the day before their arrival.
The move follows the October 25 presidential runoff election, in which Bolsonaro lost to incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. For 48 hours following the results, Bolsonaro refused to concede defeat and threatened to annul the election. He has slammed alleged electoral fraud, claiming that he is the elected president and that a criminal organization has established a tyranny in Brazil.
Bolsonaro faces multiple criminal investigations by Brazil's Supreme Court involving allegations of corruption, money laundering, and tax evasion. He is also set to lose his parliamentary immunity following his election defeat. Although he described the travel ban as an attempt to intimidate him on Monday and insisted he had no plans to leave Brazil, he ultimately departed the country.