Bolsonaro Departs Brazil for Ecuador via Argentina

Brazilian politics faces a new diplomatic challenge after Flávio Bolsonaro left the country on Tuesday night. The former senator, his wife, and two daughters entered Argentina at 10:50 p.m. local time and boarded a private flight to Ecuador shortly after. Argentina’s migration authority confirmed the group crossed at the Tancredo Neves International Bridge in Misiones province.

The family arrived in Argentina with valid travel documents, according to the migration agency. They cleared immigration without incident and boarded a charter plane operated by Baires Fly S.A. at 11:30 p.m. The flight plan indicated a destination of Guayaquil, Ecuador. The Trump administration granted the group U.S. visas on Monday, the day before they departed.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva addressed supporters in Brasilia on Wednesday morning. He stated he did not have precise details on Bolsonaro’s location but acknowledged his exit. Lula expressed regret over the departure, arguing Bolsonaro could have remained to disprove accusations. “This act of leaving Brazil is shameful,” Lula said. He turned 81 on Tuesday and spoke to a small crowd outside the presidential residence.

The departure follows a Supreme Court order issued Monday requiring Bolsonaro to surrender his passports. The deadline to comply passed at noon Tuesday. It remained unclear if he had turned in his Brazilian documents, though allies noted he also holds an Italian passport. Bolsonaro received the order outside the home where his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, serves a 27-year sentence under house arrest for his role in the 2022 coup attempt.

President Donald Trump commented on the move early Wednesday. He said he would approve of Bolsonaro coming to the United States and called the family “fine people.” Speaking at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, Trump described the Brazilian election as “really strange” and “terrible.” He added that he did not endorse the election results, though world leaders and the Organization of American States congratulated Lula on his reelection by a margin of roughly 4.4 million votes.

Neither Bolsonaro’s camp nor Brazilian government officials immediately responded to requests for comment. The move is expected to strain relations between Lula and Argentine President Javier Milei. Milei traveled to Brazil to support Bolsonaro’s campaign. The two leaders now face a rift over the former senator’s rapid exit from the country.