Bolsonaro Exits Brazil: A Flight to Ecuador After U.S. Visa Approval

Flávio Bolsonaro, the 45-year-old senator and recently defeated Brazilian presidential candidate, left Brazil for Ecuador on Wednesday. He traveled with his wife, Fernanda Antunes Figueira Bolsonaro, and their two daughters, Carolina and Luiza Figueira Bolsonaro. Argentina's migration authority confirmed the family crossed the border at 10:50 p.m. local time. They entered through the Tancredo Neves International Bridge, a major checkpoint connecting Brazil to Argentina's Misiones province.

The family had received United States visas the previous day from the Trump administration. This timing aligned with the expiration of a deadline for Bolsonaro to surrender his regular and diplomatic passports. That deadline passed at noon Tuesday. Brazil's Supreme Court had ordered the surrender of the passports on Monday. Bolsonaro stated in a video that he received the order outside the home of his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year sentence under house arrest.

Shortly after clearing immigration controls at 11:30 p.m., the four boarded a private charter flight operated by Baires Fly S.A. The flight plan indicated a departure for Guayaquil, Ecuador. Argentine officials noted that the family possessed valid travel documents and faced no legal barriers to entry. They described the transit as incident-free.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who turned 81 on Tuesday, responded to the departure from the presidential residence in Brasilia. He told a group of supporters that he lacked precise details on Bolsonaro's location but confirmed he had left the country. Lula described the exit as shameful, arguing that Bolsonaro could have remained in Brazil to prove the accusations against him were false.

The move is expected to strain relations between Lula and Argentine President Javier Milei. Milei had traveled to Brazil to support Bolsonaro's campaign. While global leaders and the Organization of American States congratulated Lula on his reelection, which was decided by a margin of roughly 4.4 million votes, the diplomatic dynamic between the two neighbors now faces a test. Neither Bolsonaro's team nor Brazilian government representatives provided immediate comments to The Associated Press.

U.S. President Donald Trump expressed approval of the move early Wednesday. Speaking at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Trump called Bolsonaro and his family fine people. He characterized the recent election as strange and terrible, noting that he did not endorse the results. Bolsonaro's father previously left Brazil for Florida after losing the 2022 election but returned after three months.

An Italian passport is also reported to be held by Flávio Bolsonaro, according to allies, though it was unclear if he had used it to meet the passport surrender deadline. The family's journey began in Brazil, continued through Argentina, and concluded with a flight to Ecuador, marking a swift international relocation following the election.