Alexandre Ramagem, Brazil's former intelligence chief and a convicted conspirator in an attempted military coup, has been released from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention. The 53-year-old, who fled to the United States in September 2025 to avoid a 16-year prison sentence in Brazil, was detained by ICE in Orlando, Florida earlier this week.
Ramagem was a close ally of Brazil's jailed former President Jair Bolsonaro and was convicted for his role in a plot to keep Bolsonaro in power after he lost the 2022 election. Brazilian judicial authorities have declared him a fugitive and requested his extradition from the U.S.
ICE confirmed Ramagem's initial detention but has not commented on his release or the reasons behind it. His name no longer appears on the agency's custody list, and Brazilian media reported he was let go on Wednesday.
Eduardo Bolsonaro, the former president's son who lives in the U.S., announced the release on social media, stating Ramagem was "out and home." He thanked U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio for their handling of the situation, calling Ramagem "a true national hero" who deserves "asylum in the land of liberty."
Ramagem is also under investigation in Brazil for allegedly using his position at the intelligence agency Abin to illegally spy on Bolsonaro's critics, allegations he has denied.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had previously insisted that Ramagem must "return to Brazil to serve his sentence." The release comes amid ongoing tensions between the two countries over the case.
President Trump has previously expressed support for Bolsonaro, calling his trial a "witch hunt" and describing his 27-year prison sentence as "very surprising."