Relatives of Venezuelans deported by the US are desperately searching for their loved ones after a hotel holding over 100 deportees collapsed during the deadly earthquakes that struck Venezuela on Wednesday.
Deportation and Earthquake
A deportation flight from Miami to Venezuela’s Simón Bolívar International Airport landed at 10:22 a.m. local time, carrying 146 people, including 19 women and 7 children. The deportees were taken to Hotel Santuario in La Guaira, where hours later, two powerful earthquakes struck, causing widespread damage and killing at least 1,700 people.
Some deportees survived the hotel’s collapse, but many remain trapped in the rubble. Rescuers are combing through the rubble in a desperate attempt to save any survivors. Relatives of those missing are pleading for help and answers about the fate of their loved ones.
US Response
The US has sent search and rescue teams to Venezuela and committed over $300 million to relief efforts. The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been deporting hundreds of people per week to Venezuela since the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 300,000 Venezuelan migrants in October.
Relatives of the deportees are criticizing the US for deporting their loved ones to a country in crisis. They are demanding answers about the fate of their family members and calling for justice.
Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
