U.S. to issue visas to Flávio Bolsonaro and his family after election loss

A U.S. visa is waiting for Flávio Bolsonaro and his family while Brazil's courts are seeking his passports.

A senior U.S. administration official said Tuesday that the State Department will issue visas allowing Bolsonaro, the defeated Brazilian presidential candidate, and his family to enter the United States. Brazilian media outlets reported that he had left Brazil for the U.S., but NPR said his whereabouts had not been independently confirmed.

The election: Bolsonaro lost Sunday's election to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva by more than 4 million votes. Lula won about 64.2 million votes, compared with nearly 59.8 million for Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro refused to concede, though his Liberal Party later accepted the result.

President Donald Trump, a Bolsonaro ally, called the election "rigged" without presenting evidence. The reports cite no evidence that the vote was tainted by fraud.

The legal problem: Brazil's Supreme Court ordered Bolsonaro to surrender his regular and diplomatic passports amid investigations that include alleged money laundering. He denies wrongdoing. NPR reported that the order also barred him from leaving Brazil and required him to turn over the passports within 24 hours. CBS News reported that it was unclear whether he had complied by a Tuesday deadline.

On Monday, Bolsonaro said he had never considered leaving Brazil and would hand over his passports and defend himself. A day later, Brazilian media reported that he was headed to the United States. His campaign manager, lawyer and political allies had said they did not know where he was, according to NPR.

What Lula said: Lula called Bolsonaro's reported departure "shameful" during his 81st birthday celebration in Brasília. He said someone who leaves the country that way has something to hide, and criticized the family's U.S. ties: "Brazil is their second home; their first home is the United States."

Bolsonaro's brother Eduardo, who lives in Texas, had publicly urged him to leave Brazil if he lost. Their father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, is under house arrest after receiving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 election to Lula. The immediate question is whether Brazilian authorities confirm Flávio Bolsonaro's location and passport status.