Venezuelan inmates at Texas prison send SOS in deportation fear
Thirty-one inmates at the Texas Bluebonnet Prison created an SOS sign when a Reuters agency drone flew over the yard. The prisoners, primarily Venezuelans, fear deportation and claim they are wrongly accused of being members of the Tren de Aragua gang.
What do you need to know?
- Where and when did the event occur? The incident occurred on April 28 at the Bluebonnet Prison in Anson, Texas. The inmates formed 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 be sent to a mega-prison notorious for human rights violations.
- What are the charges against the inmates? U.S. immigration agents accuse them of being members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang, a charge that both the prisoners and their families strongly 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, primarily 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 contacted by the agency.
What awaits deported Venezuelans?
Venezuelans deported from the U.S. may end up in El Salvador's Central Prison for Convicted Terrorists (CECOT), known for its 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.
