RIO DE JANEIRO ( Associated Press) – Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro applied for a six-month tourist visa to stay in the United States, a sign he may not immediately intend to return to his home country, where Legal troubles await them.
The Financial Times was the first outlet to report on the request, citing Felipe Alexandre, Bolsonaro’s immigration lawyer. The attorney’s office, AG Immigration, confirmed the report to The Associated Press.
Bolsonaro left Brazil for Florida on 30 December, two days before the inauguration of his rival, leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The ceremony took place without incident, but a week later thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed the capital and vandalized key government buildings, demanding the annulment of Lula’s election.
Brazilian authorities are investigating whether Bolsonaro had any role in inciting the rebellion. It is one of several investigations against the former president that pose legal problems for him should he decide to return to Brazil, which could result in him being stripped of his ability to participate in future competitions, or worse.
For the first time in his political career of more than three decades as a legislator and later as president, he no longer enjoys the legal protection that requires any proceedings against him to be taken before the federal Supreme Court .
It is widely assumed – although this has not been confirmed – that Bolsonaro enters the United States on an A-1 visa specifically for heads of state. If so, he will have 30 days from the end of his term to leave the country or update his status with the Department of Homeland Security.
Meanwhile, his political future and his possible return to Brazil have given rise to rumors and speculation.
Mario Sergio Lima, a political analyst at Madele Advisors, said Bolsonaro’s plan would clearly be to distance himself from hardliners, whose violence in the capital could implicate him in the short term, in order to return at some point to lead the opposition. Can
Lima declared, “He is giving them some time, going away from the country for a bit when they may face legal consequences for the attitude of their supporters.” “I don’t think the fact that he stayed away is sufficient. The proceedings will continue, but perhaps he thinks he can at least avoid some sort of retributive punishment.”
Bolsonaro has been living in a home outside Orlando, Florida, and has been seen in video taking photos with supporters in a gated community and walking into a supermarket.
Following the destruction caused by riots this month in the Brazilian capital, a group of 46 Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to President Joe Biden demanding Bolsonaro’s visa be revoked.
“The United States should not harbor you or any authoritarian who inspires such violence against democratic institutions,” he wrote in the letter.
Senator Bolsonaro’s son told reporters this weekend that he did not know when his father would return to Brazil.
“It could happen tomorrow, it could happen in six months, it could never come back. I don’t know. He is resting,” commented Senator Flavio Bolsonaro.
Asked whether the former president has submitted any requests for help with documentation or visa procedures, Brazil’s foreign ministry referred the Associated Press to US officials. For its part, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) referred the Associated Press to the State Department, which has repeatedly declined to answer questions about Bolsonaro’s visa status in the country.
