- Influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate, who are charged with human trafficking in Romania, arrived Thursday in the U.S. Authorities lifted travel restrictions on the siblings Wednesday.
- The Tates, who are dual U.S.-British citizens, were arrested in late 2022 and indicted last year.
- President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said they knew nothing about the brothers’ return.
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Self-proclaimed misogynist influencer Andrew Tate and his brother, Tristan, are now in the United States, despite facing rape and human trafficking charges in Romania. The brothers landed in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on the morning of Thursday, Feb. 27, after leaving Romania on board a private jet.
The men have dual U.S. and British citizenship but had previously been banned from leaving Romania pending a criminal investigation.
Their lawyer said the travel ban has been lifted.
The Tates are former kickboxers who were arrested three years ago, accused of forming an organized crime ring, human trafficking of minors and money laundering.
They have denied all wrongdoing.
What are the Tate brothers saying about returning to the U.S.?
Andrew talked with reporters outside the airport Thursday.
“We live in a democratic society where it’s innocent until proven guilty. And I think my brother and I are largely misunderstood,” Andrew said. “There’s a lot of opinions about us, a lot of things that go around about us on the internet. We’ve yet to be convicted of any crime in our lives, ever. We have no criminal record anywhere on the planet, ever.”
Did President Trump know anything about bringing them back?
When a reporter asked President Donald Trump Thursday if his administration pressed the Romanian government to lift travel restrictions on the brothers, Trump said he knew nothing about it.
What did Gov. DeSantis say?
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, R, also commented Thursday, saying they’re not welcome in his state.
“Florida is not a place where you’re welcome with that type of conduct,” DeSantis said. “I don’t know how it came to this.”
According to Romanian authorities, the travel restrictions on the brothers were lifted Wednesday, Feb. 26.
What happens next?
Romanian prosecutors said they are still pursuing criminal investigations against them. They added that they were allowed to leave but would need to appear before judicial authorities whenever summoned.
