The United States says it will issue visas to Brazilian senator Flavio Bolsonaro and his family, as Brazilian authorities seek to establish his whereabouts after cancelling his passports.

A senior State Department official told the BBC that the department would issue the visas and allow the family to enter the United States. The Associated Press also reported the planned visas.

Passports cancelled after court deadline

Brazil’s Federal Police revoked Bolsonaro’s passports after he failed to meet a Supreme Court order to surrender them within 24 hours, according to Agencia Brasil. The order is part of a money-laundering investigation. Bolsonaro denies wrongdoing.

The senator lost Sunday’s presidential runoff to incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. He has not conceded and has called for the result to be annulled.

Whereabouts remain uncertain

Several news organizations have reported that Bolsonaro travelled or was travelling to the United States, citing sources familiar with his plans. But the BBC said it had not independently verified his departure, and Brazilian officials had not established a formal record of him leaving the country.

A lawyer for Bolsonaro told BBC Brasil that the legal team had no information about the situation. That leaves key details unresolved, including where he is, when he may have left Brazil and the route he may have taken.

The U.S. statement concerns visas and permission to enter. It is not, by itself, confirmation that Bolsonaro has arrived in the country or received asylum. The situation remains developing, and those distinctions matter as officials and his representatives provide further information.