US indirectly asks Bolsonaro to leave country
Washington says those who entered the country on an "A" visa but have no official business anymore should leave or apply for a new status.
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Former Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro, center, meets with supporters outside a vacation home where he is staying near Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023 (Skyler Swisher/Orlando Sentinel via AP)
Individuals who arrived in the United States on a so-called "A" visa reserved for heads of state and diplomats should leave the country within 30 days or apply for a change of immigration status if they are no longer engaged in official business, the US State Department said on Monday, hitting at Brazilian former President Jair Bolsonaro.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro flew to Florida on January 1, two days before his term ended, before his supporters broke into the country's Planalto presidential palace and Congress building on Sunday. He is believed to have entered on an "A" status visa.
At a press briefing, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said he could not comment on an individual's visa status, but spoke about visa rules in general.
"If an individual has no basis on which to be in the United States, an individual is subject to removal by the Department of Homeland Security," Price said.
On Monday, Bolsonaro was admitted to a hospital in Florida, a source close to his family said, adding that his condition was "not worrying".
Earlier today, US Democrats have called for former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to leave the US after his supporters stormed Brazil's capital on Sunday.
Bolsonaro has been staying in Orlando, Florida since late December after shamefully leaving Brazil with a trail of damages behind him.
US Democrat Joaquin Castro told CNN on Sunday that Bolsonaro "basically used the Trump playbook to inspire domestic terrorists to try to take over the government. He's actually very close to Donald Trump. He should be extradited to Brazil. In fact, it was reported that he was under investigation for corruption and fled Brazil to the United States."
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said on Twitter that the US needs to "cease granting refuge to Bolsonaro in Florida."
On Sunday, Bolsonaro's supporters broke into the country's Planalto presidential palace and Congress building in protest against leftist President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva.
The Supreme Court building in the vicinity of the presidential palace was also raided by the protestors.
Some protesters were holding signs calling on the country's military to "intervene militarily" against democratically elected Brazilian President Lula da Silva.
Shortly after, Lula ordered federal security to intervene in Brasilia and restore calm after Bolsonaro supporters raided the National Congress building, the Supreme court and the presidential palace.
According to Istoe Magazine, Bolsonaro wants to retire in Italy and has asked the Italian embassy in Brazil to speed up citizenship procedures for him and his family. Italy seemed his only option to obtain citizenship because the country does not have an extradition treaty with Brazil.
According to officials, Bolsonaro broke tradition by leaving Brazil before his political rival, Luiz Ignacio Lula Da Silva's inauguration.
Just days before leaving office, he issued a pardon for 74 police officers convicted in the massacre at Sao Paulo's Carandiru prison carried out more than 30 years ago.
An official document concerning the pardon indicates that this is a pass to officers whose crimes "were not considered extremely serious" although being committed in the line of duty more than three decades ago.
