A Colombian-Venezuelan migrant deported from the U.S. over the weekend and held in a high-security prison in El Salvador has no criminal record or ties to a Venezuelan gang, and his rights are being violated, his wife stated.
The Trump administration is responding to a judicial request for more details regarding the deportations of hundreds of migrants to El Salvador, as U.S. District Judge James Boasberg assesses whether officials violated his order temporarily blocking these expulsions.
President Trump invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, which he claimed allowed for the deportation of alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. The migrants are being detained in El Salvador under an agreement with President Nayib Bukele's government.
Deicy Aldana, 26, explained that her husband, 26-year-old Colombian-Venezuelan dual citizen Andres Guillermo Morales, had a legal work permit in the U.S. as part of his asylum application when he was arrested by ICE in early February. His work authorization has been independently verified.
Aldana, a Colombian citizen, spoke from San Antonio del Táchira, near the Colombian border, where she is staying with her mother after returning from the U.S. following her husband's detention during an early morning raid in Denver.
"He's a hard worker," Aldana said, struggling to hold back tears. "I don’t understand why they connected him to the Tren de Aragua if he has nothing to do with that. He has no criminal record in Colombia, no criminal record in Venezuela; if he had one in the U.S., they would have kept him to serve time."
Aldana shared documents indicating her husband has no criminal convictions in Colombia, a claim verified by her independent records search.
No U.S. criminal convictions for Morales were found.
"I'm so worried because he's a human being, and they are violating his rights," Aldana expressed. "It's not fair what they are doing to him and the other Venezuelans just for being Venezuelans."
Families of some deported individuals have reported that ICE informed them their loved ones have connections to violent gangs.
Morales, who worked for an air conditioning company and later for a cement company, had multiple tattoos, Aldana noted, but none were linked to any gang. His tattoos included his parents’ names on his arms, a clock next to his father's name, a star and music notes on his neck, and a Bible verse on his ribs.
ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Morales' case. Aldana, who has two young daughters, was informed during a call with ICE that her husband is in El Salvador.
Morales had a signed deportation order for Colombia and was told by that country's consulate in San Francisco that he would be deported to Bogota. Aldana mentioned that her husband later indicated he had signed paperwork to change his deportation to Venezuela.
The Colombian foreign ministry has informed her that they are monitoring the case, although they did not respond to a request for comment.
"I will do whatever I can to get him out," she said. "I have proof to show he's not a criminal."