CARACAS (Reuters) – The fate of Yonathan Betancourt, a 28-year-old Venezuelan detained in the United States, remains uncertain after his reported transfer to El Salvador was suspended, a relative said.
Betancourt’s brother, Juan, said Yonathan was taken to an airport on April 18 but returned the next morning to the Bluebonnet Detention Center in Texas.
“They tried to force him to sign papers. He thought he was being sent to Venezuela, but it was El Salvador,” Juan told Reuters.
On Saturday, the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deporting another group of Venezuelan migrants accused of gang ties under a rarely used wartime law, issuing a stay after the American Civil Liberties Union asked the court to intervene on an emergency basis.
Betancourt, a barber, entered the United States legally about 18 months ago and holds Temporary Protected Status until 2028, his brother said. He added that Yonathan was detained due to his tattoos but has no criminal record or ties to the Tren de Aragua gang targeted for deportation by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
On Sunday, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele proposed a prisoner exchange to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro involving 252 deported Venezuelans.
In a video from detention, Betancourt said, “We are desperate. We have faith in God that we are going to Venezuela,” urging support from Maduro.
(Reporting by Efrain Otero; Editing by Bill Berkrot)