Bolsonaro's ex-intelligence chief detained by ICE in Florida

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U.S. immigration authorities reportedly detained former Brazilian intelligence chief Alexandre Ramagem in Florida on Monday, months after Brazil sentenced him to jail for his function in a plot to maintain former President Jair Bolsonaro in energy after the 2022 election.

Brazilian authorities stated Ramagem fled the nation in September 2025, shortly after being sentenced to 16 years in jail. However Ramagem's supporters argue that he has an lively asylum declare in the US and shouldn't be deported.

In an announcement asserting Ramagem's detention, the Brazilian Federal Police didn't title him immediately however referenced the crimes he was convicted of.

"The detainee is taken into account a fugitive from Brazilian justice after convictions to crimes together with participation in an armed legal group, a coup d’état, and the tried violent abolition of the rule of regulation," the Federal Police stated in an announcement.

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Rio de Janeiro's mayor candidate of the Liberal Occasion (PL) Alexandre Ramagem gestures earlier than the beginning of the tv debate amongst Rio de Janeiro mayor candidates on the Projac Globo tv community studios in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on October 3, 2024. Mayoral elections will happen in Brazil on 6 October 2024 (Mauro Pimentel / AFP by way of Getty Photographs)

Brazilian Senator Jorge Seif, an ally of Bolsonaro, shared on social media that Ramagem was detained by U.S. authorities . Seif is pushing for Ramagem's launch, arguing that he must be granted political asylum.

"The political persecution in opposition to President Bolsonaro, his sons and his allies is now hitting an elected lawmaker in international soil," Seif stated. "In our doc (to the U.S. embassy) we confirmed all the explanations that justify and defend the concession of political asylum to Ramagem and his household."

Brazilian authorities stated the detention was the results of " international police cooperation ," indirectly tied to his conviction.

Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro speaks to the press as he arrives on the Brasilia Worldwide Airport in Brasilia, Brazil, on March 25, 2025. (Luis Nova/AP)

Brazilian journalist Paulo Figueiredo, a buddy of Ramagem, shared on X that he was detained after being stopped by police for a "minor visitors violation." Authorities then referred Ramagem to ICE. Figueiredo claimed that Ramagem at present has an asylum request with the US.

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<source media="(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2026/04/672/378/alexandre-ramagem-jair-bolsonaro-rio-janeiro-fox-news-001.jpeg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2026/04/1344/756/alexandre-ramagem-jair-bolsonaro-rio-janeiro-fox-news-001.jpeg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="378" width="672"> Mayoral pre-candidate Alexandre Ramagem campaigns in Rio de Janeiro as former President Jair Bolsonaro stands close by on July 18, 2024. (Bruna Prado | Related Press)

Figueiredo wrote that Immigrex, a visa consulting firm the place he's a companion, will present full providers to Ramagem.

"Our expectation is that he will likely be launched as rapidly as attainable, and right now we see no threat of deportation. The ICE course of can be bureaucratic and will depend on formal processing inside the company’s system earlier than the subsequent steps may be taken," Figueiredo wrote on X.

On Monday, The Related Press reported that Ramagem was listed on ICE's on-line detainee database, however a Fox Information Digital search on Tuesday discovered his title was not listed.

Fox Information Digital reached out to the Division of Homeland Safety and Immigration and Customs Enforcement for remark.

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Brazilian authorities say the coup led by Bolsonaro and his supporters started months earlier than the 2022 election, after they alleged that there was a robust probability that the election was rigged in opposition to Bolsonaro. When President Luiz Inácio de Silva gained the election, Bolsonaro didn't concede. He was later convicted of trying to overthrow the federal government and is at present serving a 27-year sentence for his function within the coup.