Media Must Cover Trump’s Haven for Fugitive Autocrats

Flávio Bolsonaro lost Brazil’s election by 4.4 million votes, then fled the country in defiance of a Supreme Court order barring him from leaving. He is under multiple investigations for alleged money laundering and tax evasion, and had been ordered to surrender his passports by Tuesday. He reportedly passed through Argentina and Ecuador before landing in Miami, then left the airport hidden under umbrellas. Trump has joined him in denying the results, though Bolsonaro’s own party has accepted Lula’s win.

The State Department plans to give his family visas. His brother Eduardo has lived here since early 2025. Others have followed, including a dictator’s grandson and an influencer considered a fugitive from justice.

Meanwhile, Trump’s government is gutting the legal visa system. It continues to suspend and revoke existing visas and enforce new travel bans. It halted immigrant visas for 75 mostly Global South countries, until a judge struck the ban down. It also revoked the visa of Brazil’s ambassador and hit Brazilian goods with 50 percent tariffs.

We call on the media to cover this for what it is: the United States becoming a safe haven for autocrats’ allies fleeing accountability. The public deserves reporting that asks who gets a visa, who doesn’t, and why.