U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration plans to issue visas to defeated Brazilian presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro and his family, a senior State Department official announced, confirming multiple reports that the senator fled his country following his loss.
Bolsonaro is en route to the U.S. and is likely to land in either Dallas or Miami, Folha de S.Paulo reported earlier in the day. The visas will allow Bolsonaro and his family to enter the U.S., according to the State Department official.
Bolsonaro, who is facing multiple criminal investigations in Brazil, was ordered to surrender his passports to Federal Police on Tuesday but failed to do so, according to a police official familiar with the situation. Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, whom the Bolsonaro family has long accused of political persecution, demanded he turn over the documents amid concerns the senator posed a flight risk.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.