US Congress Members Want Bolsonaro Deported

Democrat Raúl Grijalva speaks of 'accountability for the attack on democracy'

São Paulo

American representatives intend to meet this week to discuss a request for the deportation of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL), who has been in Florida since the end of 2022.

Democrat Raúl Grijalva told Folha that a good part of the party's bench supports the idea of removing the right-wing leader from the country so that he can be investigated and eventually tried for his role in the attacks against democracy in Brazil.

FILE PHOTO: Chairman of the US House Natural Resources Committee, Democrat Raul Grijalva speaks during a U.S. House Natural Resources Committee hearing on "The U.S. Park Police Attack on Peaceful Protesters at Lafayette Square", on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 29, 2020. Michael Reynolds/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo - REUTERS

The idea is to ask the White House to start the process. "Bolsonaro needs to be removed from the US so that he can face the consequences in Brazil of having instigated attacks on democracy, similarly to what former President Donald Trump did in the US and which culminated [in the insurrection] in the Capitol", said Grijalva.

Two other congressmen publicly called for Bolsonaro’s deportation – Joaquín Castro and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez.

According to Grijalva, for Bolsonaro to be deported, a decision by the White House and the Department of Homeland Security is enough.

Translated by Cassy Dias

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