Bolsonaro seeks to stay in US on tourist visa | International

He wants to stay. Former Brazilian President Jair BolsonaroFacing multiple inquiries in his home country, the resident of the borrowed villa in Florida has since December 30 requested an extension of his visa that would allow him to stay in the US for at least six years.

His lawyer, immigration expert Felipe Alexandre, said the State Department received the request from the former head of state on Friday. Change the visa to touristA message was forwarded Financial Times. “He needs to take some time off, clear his head, enjoy being a tourist in America for a few months and decide what his next steps will be,” he said. “Whether he uses the full six months or not depends on him and the strategy we agree to adapt based on the plans he lays out,” said Alexandre, whose law firm maintains offices in Orlando, Florida and New York.

Bolsonaro arrived in the United States on an A-1 visa two days before Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva installed him as the country’s president. The authorization to remain in the United States expired on the day he left office, and the thirty-day period would have now expired.

Whether or not to approve the far-right leader’s visa change will depend on the State Department, which faces pressure from Democrats to deny it. A total of 41 U.S. Democratic lawmakers demanded in an open letter that the U.S. not grant him asylum: “Mr. Bolsonaro or any other former Brazilian official should not be allowed asylum in the U.S. as they may have pledged while serving in office,” the politicians said.

On the blog Think tank However, Atlantic Council experts Kissou Nia and Thomas Warrick clarify, however, that “while the Biden administration must demonstrate moral leadership for democracy and the rule of law, acting too hastily could fan the flames of growing political polarization.” will further harm democracy in the long run. To manage this politically sensitive situation, the US government must follow established legal procedures and ensure that Bolsonaro does not undermine Brazilian democracy from US soil.

One of the president’s sons, Flavio Bolsonaro, had already indicated over the weekend the possibility of requesting an extension for his father, who arrived in Florida and was hospitalized for a few days with an intestinal problem, rather than return to Brazil. Your visa. “There is no indication of his return. It will be known when. It might be tomorrow, it might be in about six months, or it might never come back. I do not know”.

Applying for a tourist visa brings other problems for the former head of state. This type of residence permit prohibits working on American soil, which in principle would close the way for Bolsonaro to pay his presence in the United States by offering talks to businessmen.

Far-right leader confronts Open Inquiries in Brazil Both the Federal Supreme Court and the High Election Court. In new hearings, the Supreme Court is examining his possible role as the instigator of the Jan. 8 coup attacks, as the reliability of Brazil’s electronic voting system is called into question.

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