Parents of recently deported Venezuelan immigrants said they were suffering and shocked when they discovered that their loved ones had been sent to the infamous mega prison in El Salvador after they recognized them on social media videos.
The family strongly denies their parents are affiliated with a Venezuelan gang known as Tren de Aragua. This is an argument the Trump administration used to justify their rapid deportation under the alien enemy law, a law rarely used since 1798. They say their family was falsely accused and targeted for their tattoos.
The family also said they never expected their loved one to be sent to a huge prison in El Salvador in place of their home country, Venezuela.
In a statement Tuesday, the White House said it was “confident in the affiliation of these gangs and their DHS intelligence ratings regarding crime,” adding that Venezuelan immigrants removed from the United States had a final order to deport them.
“This administration is not going to ignore the rule of law,” the statement said.
Parents of 29-year-old Mervin Yamarte said they were terrifying to see him on social media videos showing the man being tied up as authorities dragged him off the plane and shaved his head in preparation for him to take him to prison.
The man was sent to the Terrorism Confinement Centre, a lockup known for allegations of human rights abuses. Human rights groups such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have documented issues such as extreme overcrowding and torture in prisons.
The video, released by Salvador President Naibe Buquere, claims that the man is a Venezuelan gang member deported from the United States.
Yamarte’s relative Anaiel Michelina told Telemundo that she was distraught when Yamart’s mother and wife saw him on video, bursting his shirt and shaving his head.
“They passed out. They started screaming,” she said.
The Trump administration has announced the deportation of hundreds of immigrants this week. It claimed that the president was a gang member under alien enemy laws that allowed him to deport non-citizens during wartime.
In court documents, an immigration and customs enforcement official said Monday that many of those excluded from the United States under the alien enemy law “have no criminal history in the United States.”
Officials said “the lack of specific information about each individual really underscores the risks they pose,” and that the government does not have a “complete profile” of gang members of suspects deported to El Salvador.
Yamarte’s family said there was an open asylum case on the July hearing set, with no criminal history and no connection to Tren de Aragua.
NBC News’ checks of criminal records for Irving, Dallas County and Texas, as well as federal court records, did not find any charges or convictions for Yarmart. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for details on whether he has a criminal history.
“We didn’t get to do anything harm to anyone. It’s not fair that they’re involved in a very bent criminal gang because of tattoos,” said his brother Juan Yamarte.
Juan Yamarte said his brother had the same tattoo as the footballer he admired and the numbers he used as a member of the 99th, or recreational soccer team. He also has tattoos with the names of his mother and daughter, as well as the date he and his partner began dating, another brother told Telemundo. None of his tattoos are gang-related, the family said.
Juan Yamarte said his brother had been in the United States for over a year before his brother took him to the house he shared with several other people last week.
“They grabbed him. They cuffed him all when he said.
On Monday, Yamalte’s family and other families in his hometown of Maracaibo, Venezuela, spent vigils of protest and prayer.
Several other families told NBC News they believe they saw relatives in the video released by El Salvador. They claim that their loved ones are falsely accused of having gang connections.
“He’s a good child. He’s never committed a crime. He has no criminal history,” said the sister of Fritzgeralus Jesus, one of the Venezuelans who said she was deported to El Salvador, who said she cried uncontrollably. “He’s young, hardworking and athletic.”
The sister of Dei Jesus, who asked not to be identified due to the fear of deportation, said she received a call from a brother who was detained by ice officials on Saturday to “say goodbye.”
She became increasingly worried when he didn’t hear from him, and she began scrutinizing the internet, hoping to find a clue where he was. She said she found him on a video of Bukere, who went viral on social media.
The 25-year-old Daese entered the US through the CBP One app in June, along with three other relatives, his sister said. The three of them were quickly released to the US, but Daese was sent to the New Orleans immigration detention center, where he remained until deported, she said. It is unclear why Jesus was detained. His family believes that may have been his tattoos.
“Just because he had tattoos, they took him in custody,” said De Jesus’ sister. “From the start, they constantly asked about his tattoos. They ask if he is a member of crime gangster Tren de Aragua.
She said her brother’s tattoos are not part of the gang. More prominent include rose art on the neck and arms, and tattoos with angels saying “mama” on the chest.
De Jesus left Venezuela. His sister said it was because “Collectibos,” an armed paramilitary group that supports President Nicolas Maduro, is harassing and coercing him.
Joseph Giardina, a Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based lawyer, represents Jesus in his asylum case, but is unsettled to learn that his client had been deported to El Salvador. The final hearing in his asylum case was scheduled for April 10th.
When Giardina heard that Jesus had been deported, he checked online and saw that his asylum hearing was still pending. He thought there must have been some confusion.
“With pending asylum applications and trials, that doesn’t make any sense at all,” Giardina said. “I’ve been doing this for years. That’s not how it works.”
“He has been suing for several months. The government has never filed an I-213 showing a criminal history. They have never filed evidence of any kind of criminal history,” Giardina said.
Mirelys Casique told Telemundo that her family confirmed her son, Francisco García Casique, in a photo released by the El Salvadoran government. She said the family was able to identify him because of his tattoos while the man in the image looked down.
“He’s not a criminal. He has no criminal history,” she said.
Trump summoned the alien enemy law this weekend, and on Saturday a federal judge issued a restraining order blocking him from using it to justify deportation, ordering that planes already in the air should be rotated.
In court documents, officials said three planes left the US after Trump issued the declaration, raising questions about the timing of the flight and the handover of custody.
A federal judge who considered the case Tuesday asked the administration for details about flights and which migrants were deported under the alien enemy laws.
The Venezuelan government has since publicly condemned the detention of citizens in El Salvador and issued travel warnings to people in the United States and those planning to travel abroad.
“We are calling on the international community to pay attention to these practices that violate the principles of human dignity and international rights,” Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Monday.
