Flavio Bolsonaro reaches Miami after 24-hour disappearance from Brazil

Flavio Bolsonaro, the far-right Brazilian senator, is on a private jet headed to Miami after leaving Ecuador on Wednesday morning. The aircraft, a Gulfstream IV registered as LV-JQW, took off from Guayaquil and is expected to land at Miami-Opa Locka executive airport mid-morning. Bolsonaro traveled with his wife and two daughters on the flight.

The senator lost the election on Sunday night to incumbent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Following the defeat, Bolsonaro disappeared for more than 24 hours. Argentine migration authorities confirmed he entered the country by land on Tuesday night. He then boarded the jet at Puerto Iguazu airport at approximately 11:30 pm. The plane had been parked there since the early hours of the previous morning.

The route to the United States was designed to avoid Brazilian airspace. The group made a brief stop in Ecuador before continuing to Florida. A senior US State Department official told media outlets that visas would be granted to Bolsonaro and his family. US President Donald Trump stated on Tuesday night that he would approve their move to the country.

Trump commented on the election results while returning from a campaign event in Texas. He described Bolsonaro and his family as fine people and called the election very strange. Trump said he did not take sides and knew both candidates, noting that he knew the former president Jair Bolsonaro very well. Bolsonaro is the son of the jailed former Brazilian president.

President Lula criticized the flight in a speech at an event celebrating his 81st birthday in Brasilia. He called the move shameful and stated that the Bolsonaro family treats Brazil as a second homeland. Lula said their first homeland is the United States, a place where they have become accustomed to paying respect. He described the family's actions as a reflection of their character.

Brazilian government officials suspect that allies of Bolsonaro told the press he was already traveling to the US on Tuesday. This information may have been released to distract from his actual route through Argentina. Federal police are facing criticism for failing to stop him from leaving the country. There is a gap in the timeline between when he was last seen by allies at about 6 pm on Monday and his entry into Argentina late on Tuesday. It is unclear where he was during that period.

Television footage shows two vans crossing the border checkpoint. Airport security officers then escorted the vehicles to the airport. Shortly after the election results, police asked the supreme court to retain Bolsonaro's passport. They cited an interview given by his brother, Eduardo Bolsonaro, last Friday. Eduardo, who is in self-imposed exile in the US, said on a podcast that if Flavio lost, he should not concede and should go to the US. The newspaper O Globo reported that the escape was planned for weeks as a contingency, with Eduardo organizing talks with US officials.