Venezuela exigned the return of a two -year -old girl to her family after the United States deported her parents and kept the child in the government’s custody.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Venezuela accused the United States of “kidnapped” Maikelys Antonella Espinoza Bernal on Monday, saying that the child was separated from his mother while boarding a deportation flight back to Venezuela.
The girl’s father, Maiker Espinoza-Scalona, had already been deported by the United States for Cecot, the notorious megaprision in El Salvador, where the Trump government has already sent at least 137 Venezuelans under the law of foreign enemies of 1798.
“(The US) have once again committed the extremely serious crime of separating families and removing a minor from their emotional environment, particularly from their biological mother,” the Venezuelan government said in a statement.
The US Department of Internal Security (DHS) denied having kidnapped the girl, arguing that she was trying to protect her from her parents, whom she accused, without proof, of being part of the “Aragua Tren”, a Venezuelan gang that the United States designated as a terrorist organization.
The father believes he was accused of being a gang member because he has tattoos, but denies that they have something to do with gangs, according to their statement presented to the court in early March.
In a statement on Saturday (26), DHS said the girl was removed from the list of deportation flights “for her safety and well-being.” She remains in custody of the refugee resettlement office (Orr) and was placed with a foster family, he added.
The girl is one of several children affected by the Trump government’s immigration repression. Last week, three US citizen children – including a four -year -old boy with metastatic cancer – were taken to Honduras by their unocuable mothers when they were deported by the immigration and customs (ICE) service.
The White House border tsar, Tom Homan, said the United States removed the children because their mothers “asked” as they prefer to stay with them instead of leaving them in the US.
It is unclear if Maikelys’s mother had the option of being deported with her daughter.
When requested to provide more information, DHS referred to CNN The statement issued on Saturday. THE CNN It also contacted the refugee resettlement office to request details about the Maikelys case.
A separate family
The girl and her parents entered the United States in May 2024 to seek asylum, according to a legal document presented by legal defense groups.
Maiker – who was ordered a deportation last July during the Biden government – said she and her partner were arrested by immigration while her daughter was placed in the government’s custody.
Between October and March, the couple had weekly face -to -face visits with their daughter, Maiker said.
THE CNN He contacted his lawyers for details about his prison and deportation order.
On March 29, Maiker was sent to a naval base in Guantanamo, Cuba, where DHS transferred migrants, according to judicial documents presented by its lawyers.
They said it was transferred the next day to the Cecot Megaprinion in El Salvador, although they did not provide any concrete evidence to support this claim.
THE CNN He contacted the Salvadoran government for more information about this case, but has not yet received an answer.
The girl’s mother was deported shortly after Maiker was sent to El Salvador. She was forced to return to the country on a flight without her two -year -old daughter, said Venezuela.
The girl was maintained in government custody that said, “We will not allow this child to be abused or exposed to criminal activities that put their safety at risk.”
According to the note, the US department stated that the father of the child’s lieutenant “Tren de Aragua”, where he supervised various crimes, including homicides and trafficking, and that the girl’s mother supervised the recruitment of young women for drug trafficking and prostitution.
Venezuela’s wrath is increasing
Venezuela accused the United States of violating international law, and said it would take all legal and diplomatic measures to ensure the girl’s return.
The government demanded “immediate liberation” and “the restoration of the rule of law and the basic rights of the child”.
The Venezuelan ministry also cited the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which partly states that children should not be separated from parents against their will unless such separation is necessary for the best interest of the child. The United States signed the convention, but did not ratify it.
THE CNN He contacted DHS to comment on Venezuela’s allegations.
Dictator Nicolás Maduro insists that the United States maintains the girl unfairly.
“I ask the full support of the Venezuelan people in the effort we will make to rescue this kidnapped girl and bring her back safely, sooner or later, the 252 Venezuelans kidnapped in El Salvador,” Maduro said in Caracas on Monday.
This content was originally published in Venezuela accuses US of “kidnapping” after deportation of mother without daughter on the CNN Brazil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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