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Father sent to Salvadoran prison, mother deported, daughter in U.S. foster care

Maiker Alejandro Espinoza Escalona was held at Guantánamo Bay before being sent to a prison in El Salvador, while his partner was deported to Venezuela without their daughter. Their daughter remains in U.S. foster care after three placements.

Mar 28, 2025

Father sent to Salvadoran prison, mother deported, daughter in U.S. foster care
Photo via Them

Maiker Alejandro Espinoza Escalona, a plaintiff in Escalona v. Noem challenging ICE transfers to Guantánamo Bay, was held at the U.S. detention facility there from March 28 to 29, 2025 before being flown to El Salvador, where he was placed in the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT). His partner, Yorely Bernal Inciarte, was deported to Venezuela in April 2025 without their daughter, Maikelys Antonella Espinoza Bernal, who remains in U.S. custody under the Office of Refugee Resettlement. According to reporting by the Morning Star, Maikelys has been moved through three foster homes over the past year, with one placement changed following allegations of sexual abuse. Demonstrators in Caracas have called for her return to Venezuela.

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