Brother of Venezuelan migrant on the brink of US deportation pleas for help
Betancourt's brother, Juan, said Yonathan was taken to an airport on April 18 but returned the next morning to the Bluebonnet Detention Center in Texas.
"They tried to force him to sign papers. He thought he was being sent to Venezuela, but it was El Salvador," Juan told Reuters.
On Saturday, the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocked the Trump administration from deporting another group of Venezuelan migrants accused of gang ties under a rarely used wartime law, issuing a stay after the American Civil Liberties Union asked the court to intervene on an emergency basis.
Betancourt, a barber, entered the United States legally about 18 months ago and holds Temporary Protected Status until 2028, his brother said. He added that Yonathan was detained due to his tattoos but has no criminal record or ties to the Tren de Aragua gang targeted for deportation by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
On Sunday, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele proposed a prisoner exchange to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro involving 252 deported Venezuelans.
In a video from detention, Betancourt said, "We are desperate. We have faith in God that we are going to Venezuela," urging support from Maduro.
(Reporting by Efrain Otero; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Straits Times
25 minutes ago
- New Straits Times
Thailand rejects international mediation to end fighting with Cambodia
BANGKOK: Thailand has rejected mediation efforts from third countries to end its ongoing conflict with Cambodia, insisting that Phnom Penh cease attacks and resolve the situation only through bilateral talks, its foreign ministry said today. Simmering border tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have flared into open hostilities at multiple locations along the frontline, with exchanges of artillery for a second straight day. At least 16 people, most of them Thai civilians, have died so far in the heaviest fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbours in over a decade. The United States, China and Malaysia, which is the current chair of the Asean regional bloc, have offered to facilitate dialogue but Bangkok is seeking a bilateral solution to the conflict, Thai foreign ministry spokesperson Nikorndej Balankura told Reuters. "I don't think we need any mediation from a third country yet," Nikorndej said in an interview. Cambodia and Thailand accuse each other of starting the conflict early on Thursday at a disputed site, which quickly escalated from small arms fire to heavy shelling along a border where sovereignty has been disputed for more than a century. "We stand by our position that bilateral mechanism is the best way out, this is a confrontation between the two countries," Nikorndej said, adding that the Cambodian side must stop violence along the border first. "Our doors are still open." Cambodia's government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Its Prime Minister Hun Manet asked the United Nations Security Council on Thursday to convene a meeting on the issue, condemning what he called "unprovoked and premeditated military aggression" by Thailand. The body has said it will hold a closed-door meeting to discuss the issue today. The fighting broke out a day after Thailand recalled its ambassador to Phnom Penh on Wednesday and expelled Cambodia's envoy, in response to landmine explosions that injured Thai soldiers. Thai authorities allege the mines had been laid recently by Cambodia, a charge dismissed by Phnom Penh as baseless. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the chair of 10-nation Asean of which both Thailand and Cambodia are members, said on Thursday he had spoken to the leaders of both countries and urged them to find a peaceful resolution. "If the Asean family wants to facilitate a return to constructive bilateral negotiations, that's welcome as well," Nikorndej said.
The Sun
25 minutes ago
- The Sun
UK foreign minister condemns Gaza crisis as ‘indefensible'
SYDNEY: U.K. Foreign Minister David Lammy said on Friday the deteriorating situation in Gaza was 'indefensible', repeating calls for a ceasefire. 'The sight of children reaching for aid and losing their lives has caused consternation over much of the world. And that is why I repeat my call today for a ceasefire,' Lammy said in a joint news conference with the Australian defence minister in Sydney. 'The deteriorating situation we've seen in Gaza over the last few weeks is indefensible.' - Reuters
The Sun
25 minutes ago
- The Sun
Trump visits Scotland for golf and talks amid Epstein controversy
EDINBURGH/LONDON: U.S. President Donald Trump, dogged by questions about his ties to disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, heads to Scotland on Friday for a trip that will mix golf with politics mostly out of the public view. Trump plans to visit his golf resort in Turnberry on Scotland's east coast, where he will meet on Monday with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, before heading to his sprawling golf property 200 miles away near Aberdeen on the west coast. As part of the visit, he will open a second 18-hole course on the Aberdeen property named in honor of his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, who was born and raised on a Scottish island before emigrating to America. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt this week said the trip was intended as a 'working visit that will include a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Starmer to refine the historic U.S.-U.K. trade deal.' The overseas travel comes as Trump faces the biggest domestic political crisis of his second term in office. Allies and opponents alike have criticized his administration's handling of investigative files related to Epstein's criminal charges and the circumstances of his 2019 death in prison. The issue has caused a rare breach with some of Trump's most loyal Make America Great Again supporters, and majorities of Americans and Trump's Republicans say they believe the government is hiding details on the case, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling. White House officials, frustrated by the ongoing focus on the Epstein saga, are hoping the controversy dies down while Trump is abroad, one person familiar with the matter said. DEEPEN TIES The trip, initially billed as a private visit, gives Trump and Starmer a chance to deepen their already warm relationship, with key issues on the agenda to include ending Russia's war in Ukraine, UK and U.S. sources said. British officials have been heartened by what they see as a clear shift in Trump's rhetoric on Ukraine and Russia in recent weeks, a UK source said. Since being elected last year, Starmer has prioritized good relations with Trump, stressing the importance of Britain's defense and security alliance with the U.S. and being careful to avoid openly criticizing Trump's tariff policies. That approach helped Britain seal the first tariff-reduction deal with the U.S. in May, which reaffirmed quotas and tariff rates on British automobiles and eliminated tariffs on the U.K. aerospace sector, but left steel tariffs in place. Tariffs will likely come up, but sources close to the matter said it was unclear if any breakthrough could be achieved. Trump also is expected to meet with Scottish leader John Swinney, who publicly backed Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, but no details have been released by either side. Trump has described Scotland as a 'very special place' and made a similar trip there in 2016 during his first run for the presidency, but he won't necessarily receive a warm welcome. About 70% of Scots have an unfavorable opinion of Trump, while 18% have a favorable opinion of him, an Ipsos poll in March found. Scottish police are girding for protests on Saturday in both Aberdeen and in Edinburgh, the country's capital. Trump will return to Britain from September 17-19 for a state visit hosted by King Charles. It will make Trump the first world leader in modern times to undertake two state visits to Britain. The late Queen Elizabeth hosted him at Buckingham Palace for a three-day state visit in June 2019. - Reuters
