(Trends Wide) — Dozens of Democrats in the House of Representatives urged US President Joe Biden on Thursday not to “provide refuge” to former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro following an attack on Brazil’s democratic institutions that echoed the January 6 attacks on the United States Capitol.
In their letter, the lawmakers called on the government to reassess Bolsonaro’s status in the United States and revoke his visa if necessary, and for “the Department of Justice and other relevant federal agencies to account, as appropriate, to any actor based in Florida.” who may have financed or supported the violent crimes of January 8.”
“We should fully cooperate with the Brazilian authorities in investigating any role Mr. Bolsonaro or those around him played in the events of January 8 and any crimes he committed while in office,” the lawmakers, led by representatives, wrote. Joaquín Castro, Gregory Meeks, Rubén Gallego, Jesús “Chuy” García, and Susan Wild.
The letter comes as Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, the former chairman of the January 6 commission, was contacted by Brazilian officials to discuss the riots that unfolded in Brasilia last Sunday.
According to a source familiar, discussions have yet to take place, though Thompson told Trends Wide that if the commission’s January 6 work and report “serves as a model for similar investigations, I will help in any way I can.”
More than 1,000 people have been arrested in the aftermath of the attack, and the letter from House Democrats argued that the attack in Brasilia “was built on months of pre- and post-election fabrications by Bolsonaro and his allies who claimed that the elections presidential ballots of October 30 had been stolen.
“His spread of disinformation, his failure to call his supporters to accept the election results, and his active calls to mobilize against democratic institutions incited thousands of protesters to attack government buildings and participate in the January 8 violence against the pillars of democracy in Brazil,” they wrote.
Bolsonaro, who left Brazil shortly before the inauguration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on January 1, has been residing in Florida. A source familiar with his recent decision said he is considering returning to Brazil in the coming weeks to discuss the allegations against him.
Still, it is believed that Bolsonaro may have entered the US on an A-1 visa, which is issued to heads of state and is only valid while they are in that position.
“As you are no longer the President of Brazil or currently serving as a Brazilian official, we ask that you reassess your status in the country to determine if there is a legal basis for your stay and to revoke any diplomatic visa you may have,” the officials wrote. House Democrats to Biden.
This week, State Department spokesman Ned Price declined to comment on Bolsonaro’s visa status, citing privacy laws, but confirmed that if an A-1 “is no longer engaged in official business on behalf of his government, it is up to that visa holder to depart the United States or to request a change to another immigration status within 30 days.”
“If a person has no basis to be in the United States, they are subject to removal by the Department of Homeland Security,” Price said at a State Department briefing Monday.
On Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States “had not received any specific request from the Brazilian authorities” regarding the Brasilia insurrection.
“Of course, if and when we do, we will work quickly to respond, as we always do,” he said.
Trends Wide has reached out to the White House and the Justice Department for comment on the letter.
Trends Wide’s Kylie Atwood, Annie Grayer and Michael Conte contributed to this report.
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(Trends Wide) — Dozens of Democrats in the House of Representatives urged US President Joe Biden on Thursday not to “provide refuge” to former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro following an attack on Brazil’s democratic institutions that echoed the January 6 attacks on the United States Capitol.
In their letter, the lawmakers called on the government to reassess Bolsonaro’s status in the United States and revoke his visa if necessary, and for “the Department of Justice and other relevant federal agencies to account, as appropriate, to any actor based in Florida.” who may have financed or supported the violent crimes of January 8.”
“We should fully cooperate with the Brazilian authorities in investigating any role Mr. Bolsonaro or those around him played in the events of January 8 and any crimes he committed while in office,” the lawmakers, led by representatives, wrote. Joaquín Castro, Gregory Meeks, Rubén Gallego, Jesús “Chuy” García, and Susan Wild.
The letter comes as Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson, the former chairman of the January 6 commission, was contacted by Brazilian officials to discuss the riots that unfolded in Brasilia last Sunday.
According to a source familiar, discussions have yet to take place, though Thompson told Trends Wide that if the commission’s January 6 work and report “serves as a model for similar investigations, I will help in any way I can.”
More than 1,000 people have been arrested in the aftermath of the attack, and the letter from House Democrats argued that the attack in Brasilia “was built on months of pre- and post-election fabrications by Bolsonaro and his allies who claimed that the elections presidential ballots of October 30 had been stolen.
“His spread of disinformation, his failure to call his supporters to accept the election results, and his active calls to mobilize against democratic institutions incited thousands of protesters to attack government buildings and participate in the January 8 violence against the pillars of democracy in Brazil,” they wrote.
Bolsonaro, who left Brazil shortly before the inauguration of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on January 1, has been residing in Florida. A source familiar with his recent decision said he is considering returning to Brazil in the coming weeks to discuss the allegations against him.
Still, it is believed that Bolsonaro may have entered the US on an A-1 visa, which is issued to heads of state and is only valid while they are in that position.
“As you are no longer the President of Brazil or currently serving as a Brazilian official, we ask that you reassess your status in the country to determine if there is a legal basis for your stay and to revoke any diplomatic visa you may have,” the officials wrote. House Democrats to Biden.
This week, State Department spokesman Ned Price declined to comment on Bolsonaro’s visa status, citing privacy laws, but confirmed that if an A-1 “is no longer engaged in official business on behalf of his government, it is up to that visa holder to depart the United States or to request a change to another immigration status within 30 days.”
“If a person has no basis to be in the United States, they are subject to removal by the Department of Homeland Security,” Price said at a State Department briefing Monday.
On Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States “had not received any specific request from the Brazilian authorities” regarding the Brasilia insurrection.
“Of course, if and when we do, we will work quickly to respond, as we always do,” he said.
Trends Wide has reached out to the White House and the Justice Department for comment on the letter.
Trends Wide’s Kylie Atwood, Annie Grayer and Michael Conte contributed to this report.
