Venezuelan inmates' desperate SOS: Fears of wrongful deportation
Thirty-one inmates at the Texas Bluebonnet Prison created an SOS sign when a Reuters agency drone appeared over the yard. The prisoners, mainly Venezuelans, fear deportation and claim they are wrongly accused of belonging to the Tren de Aragua gang.
What do you need to know?
- Where and when did the event occur? The situation took place on 28th April at the Bluebonnet Prison in Anson, Texas. The inmates created an SOS sign when a Reuters agency drone appeared over the yard.
- Why are the prisoners calling for help? The prisoners, mainly Venezuelans, fear deportation to El Salvador, where they may end up in a mega-prison known for human rights violations.
- What are the charges against the inmates? U.S. immigration agents accuse them of belonging to the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang, which the prisoners and their families categorically deny.
Why are the prisoners creating an SOS sign?
Inmates at the Bluebonnet Prison in Texas, including 31 men dressed in red uniforms, created an SOS sign when a Reuters agency drone flew over their yard. The prisoners, mainly Venezuelans, fear deportation to El Salvador, where they may end up in a mega-prison known for human rights violations.
"They're making false accusations about me. I don't belong to any gang," said 19-year-old Jeferson Escalona, one of the inmates, who was contacted by the agency.
What awaits deported Venezuelans?
Venezuelans deported from the USA may end up in El Salvador's Central Prison for Convicted Terrorists (CECOT), known for human rights violations. Since mid-March, at least 288 Venezuelans and Salvadorans have been imprisoned there.
"I fear for my life here," stated Escalona, who voluntarily expressed the desire to return to Venezuela but was refused.
