US President Donald Trump has approved entry into the United States for defeated Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro and his family, as a Brazilian Supreme Court order requiring him to surrender his passports raises fresh questions about his departure from the country.
CNN, in a report by its correspondents, said a Trump adviser confirmed that the president had authorised Bolsonaro’s entry after his defeat in Sunday’s presidential runoff election against leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Two US officials also confirmed to CNN that the United States was issuing visas to Bolsonaro and members of his family.
The development came after Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered Bolsonaro to surrender his passports within 24 hours on Monday. Brazilian authorities subsequently cancelled his passports after he failed to hand them over, according to CNN Brasil.
A source close to Bolsonaro told CNN that the politician feared possible arrest in Brazil, where he is under investigation by the country’s highest court over alleged corruption, money laundering and currency evasion.
A person familiar with the situation told CNN on Tuesday afternoon that Bolsonaro had arrived in the United States, although his exact destination remained unknown.
Trump, who has maintained political affinity with Bolsonaro, indicated his willingness to receive the Brazilian politician when asked about the possibility of his entry into the United States.
“Well, I would approve. I think they’re fine people. The election was very strange, and I thought it was terrible,” Trump told reporters overnight.
It was not immediately clear whether Trump and Bolsonaro had spoken directly before the Brazilian politician’s reported departure.
Reports about Bolsonaro’s movements intensified after Argentine media outlet Infobae claimed that he had travelled through Argentina on his way to the United States. However, the Argentine government said it had no record of his entry into the country.
Bolsonaro had earlier denied plans to flee Brazil. In a video posted on Instagram on Monday, he said police had personally informed him of the court order and told him he was prohibited from leaving the country.
His reported arrival in the United States now places the focus on how he travelled out of Brazil despite the restrictions imposed by the Supreme Court and the subsequent cancellation of his passports.
CNN said it had contacted Bolsonaro, his political party and the Brazilian Federal Police for comments on his whereabouts and the circumstances surrounding his departure.
The reported US approval comes against the backdrop of a politically significant election defeat for Bolsonaro, whose alignment with Trump has linked his political fortunes to the broader contest between right-wing and left-wing movements in the Americas.
