Argentine President Javier Milei will not be able to visit conservative former President Jair Bolsonaro later this week after Brazilian Supreme Federal Tribunal (STF) Justice Alexandre de Moraes imposed a 30-day visitation ban on Bolsonaro over the weekend.
The 30-day ban also comes with a much longer ban that prevents Jair Bolsonaro from receiving any visit of for a “political-electoral purpose” until after the October 2026 general elections.
President Milei is scheduled to begin a tour of Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia this week. Milei reportedly confirmed this month that on Friday, July 25, he will visit São Paulo to participate as a guest at an event held by Bolsonaro’s Liberal Party (PL). On that day, PL will formally proclaim Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro as their candidate for the October 2026 presidential election.
“I am also going to stop by Brasília to greet Jair Bolsonaro,” Milei reportedly said during a July 10 interview with Argentina’s Radio Now 97.9 FM.
Former President Bolsonaro is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence on “crimes against democracy” charges. Bolsonaro was transferred from his prison cell to his residence in Brasília in March and has been serving the sentence under strict “humanitarian” house arrest conditions.
De Moraes, who has been at the forefront of a persecution campaign against Bolsonaro and his family, finally granted house arrest provisions to the 71-year-old former president after Bolsonaro, who suffers from a litany of health conditions, contracted bacterial pneumonia in both of his lungs this year.
Last week, de Moraes banned Flavio Bolsonaro from visiting or speaking with his father after the senator publicly revealed a handwritten letter signed by the former president. In the letter, Jair Bolsonaro called for his followers to support his son, Flávio, in the October presidential election. Sen. Bolsonaro is running against current radical leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is seeking a fourth term.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva speaks during a visit to the Amazon Regional Observatory of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization in Brasilia, Brazil, Thursday, June 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
On Friday, de Moraes issued an additional ruling banning Jair Bolsonaro from receiving any kind of visits for 30 days in response to the letter incident. The ban also extends to all other relatives of the former president and not just his son Flávio, as well as any other individual that is not part of Jair Bolsonaro’s medical and legal teams. Additionally, the Brazilian Justice banned Bolsonaro from receiving any visits of a “political-electoral purpose” until after the October elections.
In light of the new ban and President Milei’s planned visit, Bolsonaro’s legal team reportedly filed a request before de Moraes seeking authorization for the Argentine president’s stop. According to GloboNews, the request was dated for Friday, July 25, and included Milei and two members of his delegation.
De Moraes rejected the request hours later on Saturday, citing the 30-day visitation ban he had just imposed on Bolsonaro. According to the Brazilian outlet UOL, de Moraes argued that the prohibitions are also applicable for a visit by the president of Argentina.
Neither President Milei nor any member of his administration has publicly commented on the situation at press time. According to Infobae, Bolsonaro’s legal team condemned the restrictions and the prohibition of Milei’s visit.
Bolsonaro’s lawyers reportedly noted that, although they will challenge the prohibition, there is not enough of a time window for an exception that could grant Milei visitation rights by Friday. Per Infobae, Milei is also excepted to meet with Brazilian investors during his stay in Brazil.
The 30-day ban, and the longer “political-electoral” visitation ban, on Jair Bolsonaro are the latest restriction in the former president’s house arrest. As per the terms imposed by de Moraes, Jair Bolsonaro is legally unable to speak to the press, use a telephone, access a computer, or use any kind of communications device. Former President Bolsonaro is also barred from using social media.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro revealed his father’s handwritten letter on social media. According to de Moraes, said action constitutes a violation of Jair Bolsonaro’s social media ban, as he is also banned from using or appearing in social media accounts belonging to third parties.
According to Argentine outlets, Milei will travel to Peru after visiting Brazil to participate in the July 28 inauguration of conservative President-elect Keiko Fujimori and will visit Bogotá on August 7 to attend the inauguration of conservative President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella. Milei will also visit Ecuador while on his tour to meet with President Daniel Noboa and sign several agreements between both nations.
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.