Thousands of Venezuelans marched on 18 March through Caracas to reject the wrongful detention and deportation of their compatriots by the United States to El Salvador.
Families of the detained migrants rejected the Trump administration’s efforts to criminalize their relatives by linking them to criminal organizations, with several openly contradicting the White House narrative concerning their family members.
“He was arrested on February 14th for simply having tattoos, claiming he was with the Tren de Aragua. He has no criminal record and is being held in isolation after being diagnosed with tuberculosis. I’m asking for justice and for the government to please help us,” said José Medina, father of Edgardo José Medina, one of the deported Venezuelans.
The Nicolás Maduro government responded sternly to the Trump administration’s executive order that preceded the crackdown on Venezuelan migrants and pledged to have them returned to Venezuela.
“This is an aggression against the whole people of Venezuela, because our migrants are not terrorists,” said Maduro. “Venezuela is ready to denounce these massive human rights violations against the noble working migrants in the United States.”
In order to carry out the fast-track deportations, Washington invoked the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act to forcibly expel 238 Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador, which was facilitated by a previous agreement signed with the Nayib Bukele government. The law allows the deportation of any Venezuelan older than 14 years that is labeled as a member of the criminal outfit. The New York Times further reported that Trump administration lawyers believe the act also allows federal agents to enter homes without a warrant.
Washington has resorted to sending Venezuelan migrants to third countries after Caracas stopped accepting flights following a recent escalation in unilateral coercive measures against Venezuela. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio threatened to issue “new, severe, and escalating sanctions” against the Caribbean country if Caracas did not resume accepting flights.
The Trump administration has admitted in court proceedings that they do not have an accurate appraisal of the people removed via the Alien Enemies Act, with many lacking a criminal record in the US.
In a statement to courts, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Field Office Director Enforcement and Removal Operations Robert Cerna claimed that the agency “carefully vetted each individual alien to ensure they were in fact members” of Tren de Aragua. Cerna specifically rejected allegations that ICE relied on social media posts, tattoos, or photos of Venezuelans displaying gang-related hand gestures. However, his claims run contrary to several reports by family members and attorneys for the deportees.
“He was detained in an ICE raid and because he had tattoos he was held there in the detention center in the Valley of Texas,” said María José Flores, during Tuesday’s mobilization, of her brother who was among those taken to El Salvador.
Several family members also appealed to Bukele, whose government is being paid by the US to hold the migrants, to release their relatives.
Upon arriving in El Salvador, authorities released a video publicizing the events where the expelled migrants were seen being subjected to harsh treatment. Salvadoran human rights organization Socorro Juridico Humanitario reports that more than 300 persons have died in the prisons now holding these Venezuelans.
Venezuela has demanded the immediate repatriation of over 200 migrants deported by the United States to El Salvador, asserting that these individuals were denied due process and wrongfully labeled as members of the Tren de Aragua criminal gang.
Maduro announced Wednesday that repatriation flights to Venezuela would resume, with a group of roughly 300 Venezuelan migrants arriving on a flight from Mexico on Thursday morning. This marked the fourth flight bringing back Venezuelan nationals since February.
The Maduro administration additionally began a countrywide signature drive to express support for migrants’ human rights. According to Venezuelan authorities, the collected signatures will back the country’s position before multilateral organizations.
The move to expel migrants to El Salvador has likewise produced a strong reaction inside the US. Federal judge James Boasberg imposed a 14-day temporary restraining order to examine the act’s legality but not before the US sent the first group to El Salvador, in an apparent flagrant violation of his ruling.
Photo: Wilmer Errades, Últimas Noticias via Venezuelanalysis
