U.S. issuing visas to Brazil’s Flávio Bolsonaro and family after he lost presidential election, official says

October 27, 2026 / 5:43 PM EDT / CBS/AP

Brazilian Senator Flávio Bolsonaro and his family will receive U.S. visas after Bolsonaro lost Brazil's presidential election over the weekend, a senior State Department official told CBS News on Tuesday.

Bolsonaro, an ally of President Trump, and his family will be allowed entry into the U.S., the official said.

Bolsonaro departed Brazil for the U.S. following his loss to incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Sunday's election, according to multiple Brazilian media reports.

A spokesperson for Bolsonaro did not respond to a request for comment. His campaign manager Rogério Marinho also refused to comment.

Bolsonaro's brother, Eduardo Bolsonaro, who lives in Texas, had publicly encouraged him to leave Brazil if he lost the election.

Bolsonaro has touted his relationship with Mr. Trump and visited the White House in May. The family connections go deeper: Brother Eduardo Bolsonaro was convicted in absentia in June of illegally lobbying the Trump administration and sentenced to four years in prison. A warrant was recently issued for his arrest.

Mr. Trump did not offer a full-throated endorsement of Bolsonaro in the runoff against Lula, as he has with some other right-of-center candidates in Latin…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/world/