Son of Brazil’s former president Bolsonaro secures U.S. green card

Eduardo Bolsonaro speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference in Oxon Hill, Md., on Feb. 20, 2025. (Jose Luis Magana / AP Photo)

SAO PAULO — Former Brazilian lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro and an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, told Reuters on Monday that he received permanent U.S. residency, often called a green card.

The younger Bolsonaro, who has lived in the U.S. since early 2025 and was recently sentenced to prison in his home country, said by telephone that residency was granted under the EB-1A category, for individuals with extraordinary abilities in areas such as science, the arts, business and sports.

The process, he said, started about a year ago. Bolsonaro has cultivated ties with U.S. conservatives and the Trump administration.

He has been accused of lobbying against his father’s conviction in Brazil for attempting to overturn the results of the 2022 election, in which the elder Bolsonaro was defeated by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The former president was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison for plotting a military coup.

Eduardo Bolsonaro said he moved to protect himself from what he called unjust persecution by Brazil’s Supreme Court, not help his father. In June, the court sentenced Eduardo Bolsonaro to four years and two months in prison after finding him guilty of soliciting U.S. interference in his father’s trial.

Political opponents of Eduardo and his brother, presidential hopeful Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro, have accused the brothers of working against Brazil in the U.S., which critics say may have led to U.S. tariffs on certain Brazilian goods.

A 25 per cent tariff on select Brazilian imports is set to take effect Wednesday. Both Eduardo and Flavio Bolsonaro have denied asking the Trump administration to levy tariffs on Brazilian exports.

Eduardo Bolsonaro, who was already authorized to work in the U.S. before receiving a green card, said he will only return to Brazil if granted amnesty.

“At least here I am free,” he said.

(Reporting by Luciana Magalhaes in Sao Paulo; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

Luciana Magalhaes, Reuters