Carlos U.: Venezuelan miner flown to CECOT prison instead of home, held four months
A miner and cook from Venezuela who asked to be sent home was flown to El Salvador's CECOT prison, where he says guards beat him. He was freed after four months.
Jul 23, 2025Raymondville, TXCountry of origin: Venezuela
Carlos Alexis Uzcátegui, a miner and cook from Lobatera, Venezuela, used the CBP One app to seek asylum but was detained in December 2024 at a Texas port of entry after agents flagged his tattoos, mostly honoring family members, as alleged Tren de Aragua symbols despite his clean criminal record. After Venezuelans were sent to Guantánamo, he requested voluntary return out of fear, and a judge approved it on February 26, 2025. Instead of being flown home, he was sent on March 15, 2025 to El Salvador's CECOT prison, where his wife, Gabriela Mora, pressed his case publicly while he had no contact with her. In July 2025, after four months, Uzcátegui was released as part of a deal repatriating 252 Venezuelan men and reunited with Mora and his stepdaughter. He said guards beat and kicked him, showing bruises, and described waking each day 'looking at the bars, wishing I wasn't there.'
“Todo ha sido demasiado difícil. El hecho de no saber de él, de no hablar con él, de no verlo aunque sea por videollamadas, pues es una angustia completa todos los días”
“Amor, no creo que podamos celebrar el cumpleaños de la niña mañana, pero ya con el favor de Dios el otro fin de semana estaré en la casa y le hacemos la reunión”
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