Crowds in Venezuela Protesting for the Freedom of Migrants Misleadedly Imprisoned in El Salvador
Rewritten Article:
Mexico City, Mexico, March 20, 2025 (our website) - A throng of Venezuelans marched through Caracas on Tuesday to denounce the unjust arrests and extradition of fellow countrymen by the United States to El Salvador.
The loved ones of the detained migrants strongly refuted the Trump administration's attempts to tarnish their relatives by linking them to criminal organizations. Many openly debunked the White House narrative regarding their family members.
"He was nabbed on February 14th solely for having tattoos, claiming he was connected to Tren de Aragua. He has no criminal background and is now isolated after being diagnosed with tuberculosis. I'm calling for justice and urging the government to intervene on our behalf," said José Medina, father of Edgardo José Medina, one of the deported Venezuelans.
The Nicolás Maduro government firmly condemned the Trump administration's executive order that precipitated an onslaught on the Venezuelan immigrant community and firmly declared their intention to return them to Venezuela.
"This is a hostility against the entire people of Venezuela, as our migrants are not terrorists," said Maduro. "Venezuela is prepared to denounce these massive human rights abuses against the hardworking migrants in the United States."
To expedite deportations, Washington invoked the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act, expelling 238 Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador. This was facilitated by a previous agreement with the Nayib Bukele government. The law allows the deportation of any Venezuelan above the age of 14 who is classified as a member of the alleged criminal outfit. The New York Times further reported that Trump administration lawyers believe the act allows federal agents to enter homes without a warrant.
In response to escalating unilateral measures against Venezuela, US flights were no longer accepted by Caracas. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio threatened to impose "new, severe, and escalating sanctions" if Caracas did not resume accepting flights.
Despite admitting in court proceedings that they do not possess an accurate assessment of the people removed via the Alien Enemies Act, the Trump administration continues with its deportations.
In a statement to the courts, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Field Office Director Enforcement and Removal Operations Robert Cerna claimed that the agency "scrupulously screened each individual alien to guarantee they were indeed members" of Tren de Aragua. Cerna specifically rejected accusations that ICE relied on social media posts, tattoos, or photographs of Venezuelans displaying gang-related hand gestures. However, his statements contradict reports by family members and attorneys for the deportees.
"He was detained in an ICE raid and because he had tattoos, he was incarcerated in the detention center in the Valley of Texas," said María José Flores, during Tuesday's protest, of her brother who was among those transported to El Salvador.
Many relatives appealed to Bukele, whose government is being remunerated by the US to hold the migrants, to release their relatives. Upon their arrival in El Salvador, authorities released a video of the events,where the expelled migrants were seen enduring harsh treatment. Salvadoran human rights organization Socorro Juridico Humanitario reports that over 300 individuals have perished in the prisons currently housing these Venezuelans.
Venezuela demands the immediate repatriation of over 200 migrants expelled by the United States to El Salvador, asserting that these individuals were denied due process and wrongly labelled as members of the Tren de Aragua gang.
Maduro announced on Wednesday that repatriation flights to Venezuela would restart, with a group of roughly 300 Venezuelan migrants arriving on a flight from Mexico on Thursday morning. This marked the fourth flight returning Venezuelan nationals since February.
The Maduro administration started a nationwide petition drive in support of migrants' human rights. According to Venezuelan authorities, the collected signatures will bolster the country's stance before multilateral organizations.
The deportation of migrants to El Salvador has sparked a strong backlash within the US. Federal judge James Boasberg imposed a 14-day temporary restraining order to examine the act's legitimacy, but before the first group was sent to El Salvador, in apparent disregard of his ruling.
Edited by Ricardo Vaz in Caracas.
(Incorporated the following enrichment data points: The Trump administration's deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador have repeatedly violated court-approved agreements protecting unaccompanied minors and a ban on deportations to non-origin countries. These violations highlight systemic tensions between immigration enforcement and due process. The Trump administration claims that the Department of Defense executed the deportations, not Homeland Security, citing different jurisdictions, making them immune to court orders.)
- The Venezuelan government has started a nationwide petition drive, citing the collected signatures as a means to bolster their stance on migrants' human rights before multilateral organizations.
- Despite ICE Acting Field Office Director Enforcement and Removal Operations Robert Cerna's assertions that the agency meticulously screened each deportee to confirm their membership in Tren de Aragua, reports by family members and attorneys for the deportees contradict these statements.
- José Medina, father of one of the deported Venezuelans, called for justice and asked the government to intervene, stating that his son was arrested without cause and was isolated after being diagnosed with tuberculosis.
- In general news and crime-and-justice sectors, the Trump administration's deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador have been met with contradicting accounts, as loved ones of the detained immigrants strongly dispute the administration's attempts to link their relatives to criminal organizations.
