Brazil's Bolsonaro hospitalized in the US with abdominal pain
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was reportedly admitted to the Florida hospital with intestinal pains related to a stabbing he suffered during the 2018 election campaign on Monday.
Bolsonaro was admitted to the Adventhealth Celebration Hospital. His doctor reported the former president has an intestinal blockage that was not serious and would likely not need surgery.
The former president had been reportedly staying at a residence in Kissimmee.
On Sunday (January 8), 1,000 of his supporters were rounded up in Brasilia after storming government buildings in the capital over the weekend, drawing international condemnation.
The mobs rampaged through Congress, the Supreme Court and presidential offices, smashing windows, furniture and artwork. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva promised to bring those responsible for the violence to justice.
Bolsonaro, who flew to Florida two days before his term ended on Jan. 1, faces an uncertain future in the United States as pressure mounts on President Joe Biden to remove the far-right politician from his self-imposed exile in suburban Orlando.
The White House said on Monday it had yet to receive any requests from the Brazilian government regarding Bolsonaro's status, but the former Brazilian president's presence on US soil has put Biden in a corner, with few good options.
Democratic Representatives Joaquin Castro and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez both expressed support on Twitter for Bolsonaro's expulsion to Brazil.
The US State Department said on Monday that it was incumbent on an individual who entered the United States on a so-called "A" visa reserved for diplomats and heads of state to depart the country within 30 days or apply for a change of immigration status if they are no longer engaged in official business.
Bolsonaro flew to Florida two days before his term ended on Jan. 1, before his supporters stormed the country's capital on Sunday, and is believed to have entered on such a visa.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price said at a press briefing that he could not comment on an individual's visa status, but spoke in general about visa rules.
According to Price, if an individual has no basis on which to be in the US, "an individual is subject to removal by the Department of Homeland Security."
After watching supporters of former US leader Donald Trump invade the US Capitol two years ago, Democratic President Joe Biden is now facing mounting pressure to remove Bolsonaro from his self-imposed exile in suburban Orlando.
Reuters
