There is a Jair Bolsonaro issue in the US. The far-right former president of Brazil, who lost the Oct. 30 election to his leftist adversary Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, took a flight to Florida two days before his term expired on Jan. 1. However, Bolsonaro left a violent movement of election-denying fans in his wake, and on Sunday they invaded Brazil's Congress, Supreme Court, and Presidential Palace.
Two years after witnessing Donald Trump's fans storm the US Capitol, Democratic President Joe Biden is under increasing pressure to extradite Bolsonaro from his self-imposed exile in a suburban Orlando neighbourhood.
Joaquin Castro, a Democratic congressman, stated on CNN that Bolsonaro shouldn't be in Florida. "This authoritarian who has instigated domestic terrorism in Brazil shouldn't be allowed to seek sanctuary in the United States. He needs to be returned to Brazil."
Bolsonaro, a Trump supporter who is currently stationed in the previous president's home state, has "applied the Trump playbook to inspire domestic terrorists," according to Castro.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a fellow Democratic congresswoman, reiterated these ideas.
Their remarks increase pressure on Bolsonaro and draw attention to Washington's important choice regarding his future.
In addition to having a tumultuous relationship with Biden, Bolsonaro was already in a worse position at home in Brazil after losing extensive immunity from prosecution when he left office. Those investigations may result in his detention or disqualify him from seeking office, according to a report last week from Reuters.
The most imminent threat to Bolsonaro, according to John Feeley, who served as the US ambassador to Panama from 2016 to 2018, was the country's request for the extradition of its former president Ricardo Martinelli.
Bolsonaro almost probably entered on an A-1 visa, which is only issued to heads of state, according to a U.S. consular officer who spoke on the record under the condition of anonymity.
After the beneficiary quits the office, the A-1 is often cancelled. But the official believed Bolsonaro's A-1 is still in effect because he left Brazil and travelled to the United States before his tenure came to an end.
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