Transferred far awayGuantánamo Bay Migrant Operations CenterVenezuela
Venezuelans transferred to Guantánamo
Venezuelan men detained in Texas, including a barber and a construction worker, were flown to the Guantánamo Bay Migrant Operations Center and held in tent camps without lawyer or family contact; some reported beatings and isolation, and most were later deported, in one case to a third country. First documented in January 2025, the pattern became recurring the next month, with cases continuing but forming a smaller share of recently reported stories.
First documented Jan 2025, recurring since Feb 2025. Shrinking as a share of recent stories.
Share of each month's well-documented stories, Jan 2025 to Oct 2026. Volume is not shown: coverage grew over the record, shares did not have to.
6 stories in 1 state. What accompanies this practice →
Texas
Mayfreed D.A.: Venezuelan barber says Guantanamo guards beat him, denied lawyers before deportationA Venezuelan barber was transferred to Guantanamo Bay in February 2025, where he says he was beaten, denied attorney and family calls, and attempted suicide twice before being deported to Venezuela.El Paso, TX · Feb 20, 2025 · ProPublica, BBC, NPR- Jose Daniel S.: Construction worker held in isolation at Guantanamo before being deportedA 30-year-old Venezuelan construction worker was sent to Guantanamo Bay with his wife nearby, held 15 days in poor conditions, then deported to Honduras after nine months in custody.El Paso, TX · Feb 20, 2025 · ProPublica, BBC, La Nación +1
- Immigrants sent to Guantanamo camp cut off from lawyers and familiesFamilies sued after relatives, including 25-year-old Yoiker David Sequera, were flown from El Paso to a new 30,000-bed detention camp at Guantanamo Bay with no lawyer access or outside contact.El Paso, TX · Feb 12, 2025 · USA Today, USA Today, Associated Press
- Yoiker S.: Asylum-seeking barber held at Guantanamo after turning himself in to Border PatrolYoiker Sequera, a 25-year-old Venezuelan barber who turned himself in to Border Patrol seeking asylum, was sent to Guantanamo Bay after five months in El Paso detention.Presidio, TX · Feb 4, 2025 · ProPublica, BBC, Migrant Insider +2
- Jeferson E.: Venezuelan former police officer deported to El Salvador prison despite court orderJeferson Escalona, 19, a former Venezuelan police officer, was deported to El Salvador's CECOT prison in late March 2025 despite a judge's order barring such removals, after denying gang ties alleged from hand-gesture photos.Anson, TX · Jan 2025 · Hindustan Times, ABC News