Venezuelan Ex‑Mayor in U.S. Detained by ICE, Fears Deportation

Carlos Roberto García, the former mayor of Mérida who fled Venezuela in 2017, has been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after a routine check-in at its Cincinnati office on Jan. 23. Mr. García and his family settled in the Cincinnati suburbs where he worked delivering packages and had been seeking asylum since 2022; the family obtained Temporary Protected Status in 2024.

Held at Butler County Jail, Mr. García’s lawyers filed an emergency petition in federal court asking for his release, saying he has no U.S. criminal record and has complied with asylum procedures. The Department of Homeland Security said he entered the country illegally in 2022 and was “released” into the United States by the Biden administration.

His wife, María Gabriela Duarte, said the family fled Venezuela in fear and now worries that deportation would expose Mr. García to imprisonment.

United States, Cincinnati

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