Self-exiled Brazilian presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro said he plans to seek permanent residency in the United States, citing concerns about political persecution if he returns to his home country.
After losing last month’s presidential runoff, Bolsonaro fled to Miami with his family. In an interview with The Epoch Times in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 13, he said he will continue supporting his political organization in Brazil from abroad.
“From here in the United States, I can have an active voice and speak in defense of my country,” he told “American Thought Leaders” host Jan Jekielek. “I am working from here in the United States, guiding, talking with our base and making decisions jointly with those who are there.”
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Bolsonaro was granted humanitarian parole in the United States and arrived in Miami on Oct. 28.
His status is valid until Oct. 27, 2027.
“I am very grateful to the American people and to President Donald Trump for opening the doors of America to me and my family,” Bolsonaro said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States “was not involved directly” in Bolsonaro’s escape.
Bolsonaro declined to speak publicly about his escape to the United States but described it as a necessary step to avoid what he called political persecution.
He confirmed he had passed through Argentina and thanked President Javier Milei.
“As far as presidents go, Milei has done brilliant work in Argentina,” Bolsonaro said. “But I can’t give details about how I got here because the people who may have had some part in it, many of them didn’t even know it was me who was nearby at certain stretches. I can’t give details because they will be persecuted wherever they are.”
After left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, 81, won reelection on Oct. 25, Bolsonaro was ordered to surrender his passports.
He expressed sadness when describing the aftermath of his election loss and the past several years under Lula, who will now serve his fourth term.
“Brazil no longer lives in a full democracy,” Bolsonaro said. “The reality today is that there was a great deal wrong with these elections in Brazil, and unfortunately in Brazil, what I am going to tell you here would be grounds for me to be investigated or prosecuted in a process that wouldn’t be within the rule of law.”
He added that he is unable to request an investigation into the results, reasoning with the fate of his father, former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro said his father, who received a 27-year sentence after he was convicted of trying to overthrow the government following his loss in Brazil’s 2022 presidential election, was imprisoned for wanting more transparency and security in the election process.
Rubio condemned the senior Bolsonaro’s sentence, and Trump had called the trial a “witch hunt.”
On June 16, Brazil’s Supreme Court convicted Bolsonaro’s brother, a former lawmaker, of seeking U.S. assistance for their father’s coup trial. The brother, Eduardo, fled to the United States in 2025 and risks arrest if he returns to Brazil, where he faces a four-year, two-month sentence.
Bolsonaro used a soccer analogy when discussing his family’s political opponent, Lula.
“My opponent acted very far outside the law,” he said. “In the language of football, he scored several handball goals that were validated, or are still being validated, by the electoral court.”
As Bolsonaro outlined the political pressure in his home country that prompted him to flee, Bolsonaro was asked about pressure he now faces from Democratic lawmakers in the United States. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), who is the incoming head of the House Oversight Committee, demanded Rubio facilitate Bolsonaro’s return to Brazil.
“Donald Trump appears to have no problem pulling out all the stops for a far-right Brazilian politician who lost his election and is under investigation for corruption,” Garcia said. In his letter to Rubio, Garcia said, “You should immediately return Mr. Bolsonaro to Brazil to face justice and be prepared to explain why the Trump Administration is welcoming a corrupt politician and government official fleeing accountability into our country.”
Bolsonaro responded to Garcia’s statement, calling it a “hallmark of the global left.”
He added that he has more faith in the U.S. justice system than in Brazil’s and will continue working to obtain lawful residence in America.
Trump, who has previously signaled support for Bolsonaro, claimed the country’s presidential election appeared to be “rigged.”
When questioned if he had seen or spoken to Trump since his arrival in the United States, Bolsonaro said he would wait for a better moment to request a meeting with him or Rubio, as he believed the administration is still grappling with its midterm losses.
“I am very grateful to President Trump for receiving me in his country and very grateful to the American people, who have approached me on the streets wherever I go, whether in the streets, in restaurants, in the airports—Americans tell me to stay strong, that I am very welcome here,” Bolsonaro said. “That gives me even more strength, even more energy, and some of them even thank me for being here … And I say it is I who have to thank the American people.”
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