Flávio Bolsonaro, the Brazilian presidential candidate who faces multiple criminal investigations, is staying in Florida on a temporary status that was given following orders by President Trump, and will likely be granted permanent residency later, U.S. officials said.
Mr. Bolsonaro fled Brazil after losing an election this week. U.S. border agents allowed him and his family to enter the United States on what is called parole, usually given for humanitarian reasons, after they landed in Miami on a private jet on Wednesday morning, a U.S. official said that day.
The jet had been arranged by a White House official. President Trump said later that afternoon that Mr. Bolsonaro had been given “a pass” to enter the country.
The White House and the State Department referred questions about Mr. Bolsonaro’s parole status and Mr. Trump’s involvement to the Department of Homeland Security. That agency said Mr. Bolsonaro and his family “were met and inspected by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in accordance with applicable immigration laws and procedures. At the conclusion of the inspection, Mr. Bolsonaro and his accompanying family members were released.”
A public U.S. government record suggests that Mr. Bolsonaro presented a canceled Brazilian diplomatic passport on arrival, according to a review by The New York Times. The record lists a document with a number issued in Brazil that public disclosures show is linked to Mr. Bolsonaro’s diplomatic passport. » | Edward Wong, Ana Ionova, Hamed Aleaziz and Tyler Pager | The four correspondents have reported for years on U.S. policy in Latin America from Washington and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. | Thursday, October 29, 2026
