DHS Denies Claim It Tried Deporting Families to Venezuela After Quakes
The Department of Homeland Security denied a Texas congressman's claim that families were moved for deportation to Venezuela after devastating earthquakes killed over 2,000 people there.
Representative Joaquin Castro claimed that families detained at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas were roused from sleep overnight and transported to Arizona in preparation for a deportation flight to Venezuela before being returned to the facility, according to Washington Examiner.
Castro stated the families were awakened in the middle of the night and sent to Arizona on their way to Venezuela, though they were ultimately sent back to Dilley. He characterized the alleged action as unthinkable, arguing it would send children and families who have committed no crimes into a country plunged into chaos by natural disaster.
DHS categorically denied the account, as Washington Examiner reports.
This is FALSE, the agency declared in an official statement.
The department clarified that a deportation flight safely reached Venezuela on June 24 and that all individuals aboard were returned home before the earthquakes struck. DHS emphasized that once an individual is no longer in ICE custody, the agency is no longer responsible for them, and no additional deportation flights were scheduled for that day.
Twin earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude devastated Venezuela on June 24, claiming over 2,000 lives and flattening buildings across the country. Thousands more remain missing in the wreckage.
Castro also referenced the 146 migrants deported to Venezuela shortly before the disaster struck, including 120 men, 19 women, and seven children. Reports indicate many of those deportees were staying in a hotel that subsequently collapsed during the seismic events.
The fate of numerous deportees remains uncertain. News reports suggest that between 10 and 32 people may have escaped the collapsed building, though survivor counts vary widely.
Venezuela has emerged as a primary destination for U.S. deportation flights in recent years, reflecting the substantial influx of Venezuelan migrants who entered the United States during the nation’s extended economic and political turmoil. Multiple countries throughout the region, including the United States, have provided humanitarian assistance and search and rescue support following the natural disaster.
With information from Washington Examiner
