Venezuelan deportee can return to US but fears repeat of ordeal

A US federal judge ordered that some Venezuelan men deported to El Salvador must be allowed to return to the United States to challenge their cases, and directed the government to cover travel costs for those who wish to come back. Judge James Boasberg said the US should prioritise deportees currently living in third countries and explain the feasibility of returning those still in Venezuela, while noting his understanding that any who return would be detained on arrival.

One of the men affected, 27-year-old Luis Muñoz Pinto, spoke from Bogotá, where he has lived since his release from detention in El Salvador. He said he wants to return to the US to prove he is not a member of the Tren de Aragua gang but fears being detained and enduring another “nightmare”.

Muñoz Pinto, who has no criminal record, said he fled Venezuela after being beaten by police while protesting and was arrested in the US despite having only tattoos as alleged evidence of gang ties.

United States, Bogotá

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