Hi there,

It is the job of the press to cover power, not cover for power—to hold those in power accountable by documenting what's happening on the ground and amplifying voices at the grassroots. In this critical moment, as attacks on the media escalate, we must continue to cover crackdowns on dissent, immigrants, the LGBTQ+ community, public health and academic freedom. Thanks to a group of generous donors, all donations made today will be DOUBLED, which means your $15 gift is worth $30. If our journalism is important to you, please donate today. Every dollar makes a difference. Thank you so much.

Democracy Now!
Amy Goodman

Non-commercial news needs your support.

We rely on contributions from you, our viewers and listeners to do our work. If you visit us daily or weekly or even just once a month, now is a great time to make your monthly contribution.

Please do your part today.

Donate

Relatives Fight U.S. Attempts to Transfer Venezuelan Immigrants to El Salvador Prison

HeadlineApr 22, 2025

The relatives of Venezuelan immigrants jailed at the Bluebonnet ICE detention center in Texas are fighting for their release after the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked the Trump administration from expelling them to El Salvador’s mega-prison under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. This is the brother of 28-year-old Yonathan Betancourt, one of the men at risk of being sent to CECOT.

Juan Betancourt: “My fear is that they might unjustly take him there, because my brother is not a criminal. He just has tattoos. He’s a barber, and tattoos are an art for young people, as well as coloring their hair. He has no criminal record, neither in Venezuela nor in the United States, thank God.”

Meanwhile, a federal judge in Colorado may extend a temporary restraining order preventing Trump officials from sending two Venezuelan asylum seekers to El Salvador. The men are currently jailed at the Aurora ICE Processing Center. One of the men came to the U.S. fleeing political persecution, while the other left Venezuela after two of his relatives were killed by members of the Tren de Aragua gang. But the Trump administration is now accusing them, without evidence, of being members of that gang. One of the asylum seekers has a single tattoo depicting his niece’s name; the other has tattoos that include his mother’s name, his birth year and a character from the board game Monopoly.

The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.

Non-commercial news needs your support

We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work.
Please do your part today.
Make a donation
Top