Venezuela Denounces US Government ‘Abduction’ of Two-Year-Old Migrant Girl

Caracas, April 30, 2025 (venezuelanalysis.com) – The Venezuelan government has accused the Trump administration of kidnapping two-year-old Maikelys Antonella Espinoza Bernal after being separated from her migrant parents for nearly a year.

In a statement on Monday, Venezuela’s Foreign Affairs Ministry condemned Maikelys’ “ abduction by US authorities,” criticizing the “heinous practice of family separation” and the deportation of Venezuelans to “concentration camps in third countries.”

The ministry demanded the “immediate” return of the child to her mother, 20-year-old Yorely Bernal Inciarte, who was deported to Venezuela on April 25.

“This is yet another violation of our migrants’ rights,” the statement read. It also condemned the “kidnapping without any due process” of the child’s father, 25-year-old Maiker Espinoza Escalona, who was sent on March 30 to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT mega-prison. 

Reports indicate that the couple arrived in Texas with their daughter on May 14, 2024, and immediately surrendered to immigration authorities, who reportedly became suspicious of their tattoos. Since then, they had been held separately, with Maikelys placed in foster care.

The young mother initially believed she would be deported to Venezuela with her daughter, but on Friday she was forcibly boarded onto a plane alone. Bernal later discovered that her partner had been transferred first to Guantanamo Bay and then to El Salvador, which meant their child was left alone in the US.

“Venezuela will resort to all legal, political, diplomatic, and multilateral mechanisms […] for young Maikellys Antonella Espinoza Bernal to return safe and sound to her country,” concluded Caracas’ statement.

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) responded on Saturday claiming that the Venezuelan child was removed from her parents’ custody after determining they both belonged to Tren de Aragua, designated as a terrorist organization in the US, though it did not provide any evidence. 

“These criminal illegal aliens entered the country illegally and had final orders of removal from a judge,” read the statement. DHS added that the 2-year-old was in the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement and is currently placed with a foster family.

The attorney and family of Bernal, who is currently in her hometown of Maracaibo in western Zulia state following her deportation, have vehemently denied the DHS accusations against her and her partner Espinoza.

Bernal challenged the US government to “release evidence” of gang association, asserting that “they’re lying about us.” Her mother, Raida, explained that her daughter has tattoos of her son’s name, flowers, and both her parents’ birthdays.

Marly, Espinoza’s sister, stated that her brother has no criminal record and owned a barbershop in Venezuela prior to migrating last year. “My brother is a 25-year-old dreamer, like many Venezuelans,” she added.

Investigations reveal that the couple has no criminal record either in Venezuela or the US, aside from a federal case for improper entry filed in 2024.

On Monday, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro condemned Washington’s actions, accusing US authorities of “abduction” and describing their response as “not credible.” He also criticized international organizations for their silence.

“Snatching a child from her mother’s arms solely because she is a migrant is a crime under international law,” Maduro stated. 

In mid-March, more than 200 Venezuelans were forcibly expelled from the US under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, based on allegations of belonging to the Tren de Aragua. The Trump administration is reportedly paying Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele $20,000 per detainee annually.

Investigations have shown that most of these deported Venezuelans have no criminal priors in the US and did not undergo standard deportation procedures. Caracas has condemned the widespread criminalization of its migrants and asserted that Venezuelan authorities dismantled Tren de Aragua’s operations in 2023.

On April 23, Bukele proposed to swap 252 Venezuelans held in CECOT for the same number of “political prisoners” in Venezuela. The Maduro government rejected the “cynical” offer and accused Bukele of committing “forced disappearances,” pledging to continue efforts to free migrants and bring them home.

The US reportedly planned to transfer up to 500 Venezuelan migrants accused of gang affiliation to El Salvador’s CECOT detention center.

Last week, lawyers with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) called on US District Judge James Boasberg to order the Trump administration to facilitate the return to the US of 137 Venezuelans detained in El Salvador. This comes alongside efforts by civil rights organizations to uphold lawful rights for Venezuelans still in the US.

The US government has ignored court orders temporarily blocking deportations using the Alien Enemies Act in at least five federal districts, for which the Trump administration may be held in contempt.

Edited by José Luis Granados Ceja in Mexico City, Mexico.