At least two Venezuelan immigrants who were detained by ICE and deported from the U.S. have completely disappeared, their families said Tuesday.
Relatives of Neiyerver Adrian Leon Rengel, 27, spoke with the Miami Herald, while family and friends of Ricardo Prada Vasquez, 32, told his story to the New York Times.
Leon Rengel arrived in the U.S. in June 2023 and was allowed to remain in the country while his immigration case was considered, the Herald reported. But on March 13, ICE agents stopped him at his apartment in the Dallas suburb of Irving and hauled him away.
Prada Vasquez was similarly permitted to stay in the U.S. while his immigration case was handled, according to the Times. However, he made a wrong turn from Detroit into Canada in January and was sent to immigration jail.
Both families suspect Leon Rengel and Prada Vasquez were on one of three deportation flights on March 15 from the U.S. to El Salvador, where suspected gang members were sent to a mega-prison in the capital city of San Salvador.
X/@PressSec
FILE – White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted a photo on X on January 24 showing migrants boarding a military plane for deportation. (X/@PressSec)
However, neither Leon Rengel nor Prada Vasquez have any criminal history of gang involvement. Prada Vasquez had no record in the U.S., while Leon Rengel paid a single fine for marijuana possession in Texas, the Herald reported.
Both men were no longer listed in the U.S. immigration system, and federal officials confirmed both had been removed from the country. However, family members in Venezuela haven’t been able to find either man.
A federal judge ruled the El Salvador flights violated the law because the deportees did not receive due process. President Trump’s administration was ordered to return the subjects to the U.S. but has ignored the order.
