Deported Venezuelans Missing After Earthquakes Destroy Hotel Where They Were Held
More than 100 Venezuelans deported from the United States hours before a series of earthquakes struck Venezuela remain missing, according to survivors and officials. The 146 deportees arrived on a flight from Miami on Wednesday morning and were taken to a hotel in La Guaira, a coastal city near Caracas that was among the hardest hit by the 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes that evening.
Lisbeth Portillo, 58, who was among the deportees, told the Associated Press she escaped from the rubble of the Hotel Santuario La Llanada along with about 20 others. She described walking five kilometres through the streets, seeing people running naked or barefoot from collapsed buildings. The group eventually reached a National Guard post and called relatives.
“I was born again; God gave me a second chance,” Portillo said. She sustained bruises across her body. The Venezuelan government reported over 1,700 deaths from the earthquakes.
Jenny Rodriguez, 24, told Telemundo she was trapped under debris at the hotel and was rescued by a fellow deportee. Liliana Rojas said her partner, who was detained in El Paso, Texas, was on the flight and has not been heard from since. She said authorities have provided no information.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) did not respond to requests for comment. The deportation flight was part of an accelerated programme under the Trump administration. According to ICE Flight Monitor, a tracking initiative by Human Rights First, 12 deportation flights to Venezuela operated in May 2025, resuming in February after a 13-month pause. In May, a total of 288 deportation flights went to 38 countries.
The deportees were processed at the hotel, given medical checks and identification documents, and told they would be released the next day. The earthquakes struck before that could happen.
