Merwil G.: Venezuelan teen deported to El Salvador prison by mistake
Merwil Gutiérrez, 19, had no criminal record or gang ties, but agents took him anyway and sent him to El Salvador's Cecot prison.
Apr 15, 2025Bronx, NYCountry of origin: Venezuela
Merwil Gutiérrez, a 19-year-old Venezuelan asylum seeker living in the Bronx, was detained by ICE agents on February 24 along with 237 other Venezuelans despite his family's assertion he has no criminal record or gang ties in Venezuela or the US. His father, Wilmer Gutiérrez, said he overheard agents at the scene say 'No, he's not the one' before another agent said 'Take him anyway.' Gutiérrez was later deported under the Alien Enemies Act to the notorious Cecot prison in El Salvador, a country he has no ties to, and his family says they have received no official information about his case.
“I feel like my son was kidnapped. I’ve spent countless hours searching for him, going from one precinct to another, speaking with numerous people who kept referring me elsewhere. Yet, after all this, no one has given me any information or provided a single document about his case.”
“The officers grabbed him and two other boys right at the entrance to our building. One said: ‘No, he’s not the one,’ like they were looking for someone else. But the other said: ‘Take him anyway,’”
Tags
Sources
- Ice deports Venezuelan teen despite reportedly knowing he was not a target
The Guardian·Apr 15, 2025·archived copy
- Documented
- “Shattered Our Dreams”: Father Recounts How ICE Snatched His Son, Sent Him to El Salvador
Democracy Now·May 1, 2025
- 'Dream turned nightmare' for Venezuelan migrant deported from US by Trump
France 24·May 8, 2025
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