Venezuelan father deported to Liberia despite protection order, separated from newborn son
Aug 21, 2026·Location: TX
Country of origin: Venezuela

Carlos Tellez Sanchez, a 35-year-old Venezuelan man who fled to Dallas, Texas in 2021, worked days at a car dealership and nights delivering for Uber Eats to support his family. He held a 2021 Withholding of Removal order protecting him from deportation to Venezuela and had no criminal record beyond civil immigration violations, but was detained by ICE in December 2025 during what he believed was a routine check-in appointment. After nearly eight months in detention, he was flown in handcuffs to Liberia on August 20, 2026, along with 19 other deportees, nearly 6,000 miles from his wife and newborn U.S. citizen son, whom he has only seen via video calls since the boy's birth. His brother, Juan Tellez, described him as 'a good person and hard worker' who 'doesn't deserve what happened to him.' He said returning to Venezuela is not an option because he fears for his safety there, and he is now staying at a hotel in Liberia while deciding whether to seek asylum there or travel elsewhere.
Timeline
Sources
- ICE deports Venezuelan father from Texas to West Africa: A situation "I don
- Latin American migrants deported by ICE to West Africa describe being stranded
- Tellez-Sanchez v. Mullin et al (1:26-cv-00706), Texas Southern District Court
- Tellez-Sanchez v. Mullin (3:26-cv-02109), Texas Northern District Court
- en.ultimasnoticias.com.ve
- ICE deports Venezuelan father from Texas to West Africa
us-inquirer.com·Aug 28, 2026·archived copy
- ICE deports Venezuelan father from Texas to West Africa: A situation “I don’t wish on anybody” - Associatted Press
associattedpress.com·Aug 29, 2026
- Venezuelan Father Deported from Texas to West Africa by ICE - News Dive
newsdive.net·Aug 28, 2026
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