Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has applied for a six-month visa to stay in the United States, his lawyer said on Monday (January 30). The former head of state is under investigation for his role in the violent attack on the headquarters of national institutions in Brasilia on January 8. The far-right former president had left Brazil for Florida two days before Lula’s inauguration on January 1, and his current visa is set to expire soon, according to law firm AG Immigration. “We look forward to bringing the utmost satisfaction and desired results to our client,” the firm said in a statement.
Jair Bolsonaro is said to have entered the United States on a visa issued to visiting leaders, which will expire on Tuesday as he is no longer on official business. Asked about Bolsonaro’s visa application, the State Department replied that this type of information was confidential in the United States. “In this regard, we cannot discuss the details of individual visa application cases,” a U.S. diplomatic spokesperson said.
The former Brazilian president had indicated on CNN in Brazil that he intended to return at the end of January and that he was even considering bringing forward his return for health reasons. Jair Bolsonaro was the victim of a stabbing in 2018 during an electoral trip. He has since undergone several surgeries for bowel obstruction.
On January 8, thousands of supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, unhappy with Lula da Silva’s victory over the far-right ex-president in the October 2022 presidential election, invaded and vandalized the presidential palace, the Congress and the Supreme Court in Brasilia. A few days later, elected Democrats called for Joe Biden to revoke Jair Bolsonaro’s visa, refusing that the United States serve as a refuge for the former leader.
“We must not allow Jair Bolsonaro or any other former Brazilian official to seek refuge in the United States to escape justice for any possible crimes committed during his tenure,” write these 41 elected officials, all from the Democratic Party, in an open letter to President Biden. Anderson Torres, a former Bolsonarist justice minister, was arrested on January 14 as part of the rampage investigation as he was returning by plane from the United States.