Venezuelan cook detained at traffic stop, self-deports after 11 years in U.S.
Jun 16, 2026·Location: Orlando, FL
Country of origin: Venezuela

Diego Armando Escalona Polanco, a 19-year-old Chipotle cook in Orlando, was detained by ICE agents following a Florida Highway Patrol traffic stop for a vehicle registration issue. Unable to afford legal representation and facing unfavorable odds in his case, Escalona signed paperwork to self-deport. He spent 42 days at Krome North Service Processing Center in Miami before being transported through four states in shackles and flown to Venezuela, where he reunited with family in Maracaibo after 11 years living in the United States.
Timeline
Sources
- Suddenly uprooted: What happens to immigrants deported from Florida to their home countries
WUFT·May 4, 2026·archived copy
WLRN·May 5, 2026·archived copy
WUSF·May 9, 2026·archived copy
- CourtListener
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