The former Brazilian president has taken refuge in Florida since the inauguration of Lula and has therefore experienced the invasion of three emblematic places of power in Brasilia from the United States.
Democratic lawmakers on Thursday urged President Joe Biden to revoke the visa of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is in Florida, refusing to allow the United States to serve as a sanctuary for the former leader.
“We must not allow Mr. Bolsonaro or any other former Brazilian official to seek refuge in the United States to escape justice for any possible crime committed during his mandate,” these 41 elected representatives, all from the Democratic Party, wrote in an open letter to the president Biden released Thursday.
They also call on the US government to “cooperate fully with any investigation by the Brazilian government if requested” and to verify the legal status in the US of the former president who arrived in the US as a head of state.
The elected representatives also demand that the Department of Justice investigate possible “support or financing” by the United States for the violent crimes on January 8, referring to the invasion and search that day of three emblematic places of power in Brasilia by supporters of the former president. Bolsonaro.
These events came to resemble the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
A new haven in Florida
The former far-right president had left Brazil for Florida two days before the inauguration of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on January 1. He lives at the home of a former Brazilian MMA fighter.
He was admitted to hospital last Sunday for an intestinal “adhesion” and was released on Tuesday night.
His stay in Florida puts the United States in a relatively embarrassing light, especially in reference to past hosting of controversial Latin American leaders.
Asked on Wednesday, the head of US diplomacy, Antony Blinken, stated that the US had not received any request from Brazil for Jair Bolsonaro, but that it would process such a request “quickly”.
Joe Biden also invited his Brazilian counterpart Lula to come and see him in Washington in early February.