Lisbeth P.: Woman deported to Venezuela survives hotel collapse during earthquakes
Lisbeth Portillo, 58, who lived in South Florida over four years with a pending asylum claim, was deported to Venezuela and survived a hotel collapse during earthquakes hours after arrival, reuniting with her children the next night.
Jun 25, 2026La Guaira, VECountry of origin: Venezuela

Lisbeth Portillo, 58, was deported to Venezuela on June 24, 2026, on Flight 164 carrying approximately 146 people. She was housed at Hotel Santuario La Llanada with over 100 other recently deported Venezuelans, in a second-floor room with 16 other women. Twin earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude struck hours after her arrival, causing the building to collapse. Portillo was buried under a beam but escaped the rubble, surviving with bruises covering her body. She was reunited with her children the following night. Portillo had crossed the U.S. border in November 2021 with a pending asylum claim and had lived in South Florida for more than four years before her deportation.
Timeline
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Sources
- The US deported them to Venezuela - hours later earthquakes struck
BBC·Jul 2, 2026·archived copy
- Deportados desde EEUU quedaron atrapados bajo escombros en un hotel de La Guaira
- Un hotel que albergaba a más de 100 venezolanos recientemente deportados de Estados Unidos se derrumbó en terremotos mortales, dicen las familias
- More than 100 US deportees missing after arriving in Venezuela before earthquakes
The Independent·Jun 30, 2026·archived copy
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