The New York Times reports:

Flávio Bolsonaro, the Brazilian presidential candidate who faces multiple criminal investigations, is staying in Florida on a temporary status that was given following orders by President Trump, and will likely be granted permanent residency later, U.S. officials said.

Mr. Bolsonaro fled Brazil after losing an election this week. U.S. border agents allowed him and his family to enter the United States on what is called parole, usually given for humanitarian reasons, after they landed in Miami on a private jet on Wednesday morning, a U.S. official said that day.

The jet had been arranged by a White House official. President Trump said later that afternoon that Mr. Bolsonaro had been given “a pass” to enter the country.

The White House and the State Department referred questions about Mr. Bolsonaro’s parole status and Mr. Trump’s involvement to the Department of Homeland Security. That agency said Mr. Bolsonaro and his family “were met and inspected by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in accordance with applicable immigration laws and procedures. At the conclusion of the inspection, Mr. Bolsonaro and his accompanying family members were released.”

A public U.S. government record suggests that Mr. Bolsonaro presented a canceled Brazilian diplomatic passport on arrival, according to a review by The New York Times. The record lists a document with a number issued in Brazil that public disclosures show is linked to Mr. Bolsonaro’s diplomatic passport.

The State Department said through an official on Tuesday that it planned to issue visas to Mr. Bolsonaro and his family allowing them to enter the country. The White House said the same thing that day, citing an administration official.

The U.S. government grants parole status to people “for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit,” according to a federal website. The status allows a person to remain in the United States while “treated as an applicant for admission,” the site says.

Mr. Bolsonaro is expected to apply at some point for permanent resident status in the United States, known as a green card, a U.S. official said. That normally would happen after he is given an immigrant visa. Mr. Bolsonaro’s application for a green card would be processed quickly, similar to that of his younger brother before him, the official said.

The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic matters.

Mr. Bolsonaro’s younger brother, Eduardo Bolsonaro, lives in Texas and maintains close ties to the Trump administration, and was granted permanent resident status in July. The process takes years for most immigrants, but the younger Bolsonaro got expedited approval, a U.S. official said.

Flávio Bolsonaro set off for the United States after Brazilian police asked him to turn over his passports on Monday because he is being investigated in relation to a money laundering scheme. [Continue reading…]