Businessman investigated for coup acts on January 8 is arrested in the USA

Businessman Esdras Jônatas dos Santos, investigated for involvement in the coup acts that culminated in the attacks on January 8, 2023, was arrested by the United States Immigration and Customs Service (ICE) in the United States. According to the US government, Santos is in custody at the Glades County Detention Center in Moore Haven, Florida.

The Bolsonarista has an outstanding arrest warrant in Brazil for leading coup demonstrations in Minas Gerais after the 2022 elections, won by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT). Esdras himself claims to have been in the United States since the acts of January 8th.

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The businessman gained prominence at the end of 2022, after the presidential election, when he participated in a camp in front of an Army barracks, in Belo Horizonte, where protesters called for military intervention and the annulment of the poll results.

At the beginning of 2023, Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), ordered the cancellation of the passport and the blocking of the businessman’s bank accounts.

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Arrest by ICE, however, does not imply automatic deportation. In these cases, the detainee begins to respond to an immigration process in the United States, and may be released, remain in custody or eventually deported, depending on the decision of the American immigration court and the legal status of the person being investigated in the country.