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Democrats seek answers from State Department about taking in Bolsonaro

House Democrats are probing the State Departments role in facilitating former Brazilian presidential candidate Flvio Bolsonaros escape from Brazil to the U.S. amid ongoing criminal investigations into him and his family. A group of House Democrats, including many prominent members of the Foreign Affairs Committee, sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday night with a list of questions about the State Departments involvement in Bolsonaro fleeing Brazil and the process it underwent to approve a U.S. visa for him as he departed. In the letter, shared first with POLITICO , the Democrats ask Rubio to clarify how the State Department coordinated with other agencies to grant the visa, whether officials were aware of the pending probes against Bolsonaro and the degree to which the State Department and its officials helped Bolsonaro leave Brazil and come to the United States. The American people and Congress have a legitimate oversight interest in understanding whether U.S. diplomatic and immigration resources were used to facilitate the travel of a foreign political figure under these circumstances, the lawmakers wrote. Transparency is particularly important where the reported events implicate a foreign judicial proceeding, sensitive bilateral relations, and the consistent application of U.S. immigration and diplomatic policies. The letter, led by Reps. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.) and Dina Titus (D-Nev.), was signed by 25 members in total. The State Department did not respond to a request for comment about the letter. Bolsonaro, the scion of a right-wing political dynasty in the South American country with close ties to key Trump administration advisers, is under investigation in Brazil for alleged money laundering. After he lost the second round of the presidential election to incumbent left-wing President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva on Sunday, a Brazilian judge ordered that he surrender his passport and remain in Brazilian territory. Instead, he fled the country with his wife and children, traveling first to Argentina and then Miami. POLITICO has not been able to independently confirm those reports. The White House directed a request for comment about administration involvement to the State Department as well as Customs and Border Protection. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees CBP, did not address reports of administration involvement directly, but did say in a statement that Bolsonaro arrived in South Florida with his family and 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. This article originally appeared on Politico at https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/30/democrats-demand-answers-bolsonaro-01141553

30 Oct 2026 3:30 pm