U.S. Administration to Grant Visas to Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro and Family Washington – The Trump administration announced on Tuesday that it would issue visas to Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro and his family, allowing them to enter the United States after Bolsonaro left Brazil following his defeat in the presidential election. A senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Department of State would issue visas to Bolsonaro and his relatives. The announcement came after the Brazilian Federal Police cancelled Bolsonaro’s ordinary and diplomatic passports on Tuesday for failing to comply with a court order to surrender them amid a corruption investigation. Bolsonaro, who lost the second round of the presidential election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva with 48 % of the vote to Lula’s 52 %, is under investigation by Brazil’s Supreme Court for alleged money laundering. The investigation also involves accusations of corruption, money laundering, and foreign exchange violations. Brazilian media outlets such as O Globo, Folha de São Paulo, O Estado de S. Paulo, and others have reported on the case. U.S. Representative Joaquín Castro, a Democrat from Texas, criticized the decision on the social media platform X. In a post, Castro said, “Losing an election does not justify seeking asylum,” referring to Bolsonaro’s alleged attempt to seek refuge in the United States while under investigation in Brazil. He added that the Trump administration must answer Congress about its role in helping Bolsonaro flee Brazil in violation of Brazilian law. Bolsonaro’s brother, Eduardo Bolsonaro, a former congressman, is currently in the United States, where he has claimed to be a victim of judicial persecution.
Article source: El Nuevo Diario | Image credit: El Nuevo Diario