Alexandre Ramagem, who fled Brazil in September following his conviction for plotting a coup, was detained by ICE in Florida on Monday.
Printed On 16 Apr 2026
Former Brazilian intelligence chief Alexandre Ramagem has been freed from immigration detention in the USA, the place he had fled after being convicted in reference to a coup plot in help of former President Jair Bolsonaro.
Paulo Figueiredo, a far-right Brazilian commentator based mostly within the US, introduced Ramagem’s launch in a publish on X on Wednesday.
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“Alexandre Ramagem is free,” Figueiredo wrote.
A supply from Brazil’s federal police additionally confirmed his launch, in line with the Reuters information company.
As of Wednesday, Ramagem was additionally now not listed amongst folks detained by ICE on its web site. There was no quick remark from ICE.
Ramagem, additionally a former lawmaker, was sentenced in September to 16 years in jail for his function within the coup try by supporters of Bolsonaro in 2023. Brazil’s federal police stated he fled the South American nation earlier than he was as a consequence of start serving his sentence.
Stories state that Ramagem fled Brazil by illegally crossing the border into Guyana earlier than taking a airplane to the US.
Ramagem was stripped of his seat in Brazil’s Congress in December as a consequence of his conviction within the coup case one month earlier.
The Brazilian authorities has sought the extradition of Ramagem.
The Brazilian outlet Globo reported that the Brazilian embassy in Washington, DC, filed documentation with the US Division of State searching for his extradition on December 30, 2025.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva stated on Tuesday that he has requested the US to ship Ramagem again to Brazil in order that he can serve his jail sentence. He additionally attributed Ramagem’s arrest to his conviction in Brazil.
However Figueiredo, the Brazilian commentator, stated Ramagem’s detention within the US state of Florida on Monday was not associated to Brazil’s extradition request.
“Ramagem was not arrested, however detained following a police method in Orlando, initially for a minor site visitors infraction and, subsequently, referred to ICE – a standard process in Florida,” Figueiredo stated in a social media publish on Monday.
He added that Ramagem has a pending asylum software.
Bolsonaro himself is at present serving a 27-year jail sentence after being convicted in September.
His trial was depicted by Bolsonaro’s allies as a political witch-hunt, and sparked the ire of US President Donald Trump, who positioned massive tariffs on Brazil and referred to as for the trial to be thrown out. Trump later relaxed a few of these tariffs following improved relations with President Lula.
