A U.S. Department of Homeland Security document says Alexandre Ramagem was in the United States on an expired visa and was subject to deportation, after the former Brazilian lawmaker was arrested in Orlando on Monday, April 13.
The notice to appear, or NTA, said Ramagem had entered the United States on a B2 tourist visa that would have allowed him to stay only until March 10. It cited Section 237(a)(B) of the Immigration and Nationality Act and said he remained in the country longer than allowed under immigration law.
The Federal Police said Ramagem was arrested by ICE and described the detention as the result of international police cooperation with U.S. authorities. The force also said he is considered a fugitive from Brazilian justice and said he had been convicted in Brazil of armed criminal organization, coup d'état and attempted violent abolition of the Democratic Rule of Law.
Paulo Figueiredo said the arrest was not related to Ramagem's extradition request. He said the NTA shows ICE treated Ramagem in the standard way for migration cases, as someone subject to deportation for overstaying the authorized period. Figueiredo also said the document made no mention of cooperation with Brazilian authorities or of crimes in Brazil.
Ramagem, a former federal deputy from Rio de Janeiro, is close to the Bolsonaro family and left Brazil last year, remaining in the United States under Donald Trump. The deportation question is separate from any extradition process, which Figueiredo said is handled by the Department of State, leaving Ramagem's immediate legal position in the United States as the central issue.