Luis Alberto Castillo, a father of 1 from Venezuela, entered america on Jan. 19, at some point earlier than Donald Trump grew to become president for a second time period — swept into workplace on a promise to deal with undocumented migrants with a heavy hand.
By Feb. 4, Mr. Castillo was on a aircraft to a U.S. Navy base at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba, finest recognized for a detention heart that has lengthy held terrorism suspects accused of launching the deadliest assault on American soil.
That day, the Division of Homeland Safety declared that those that had been transferred to the island represented “the worst of the worst” and have been all members of a Venezuelan legal group, the Tren de Aragua.
However in interview from her dwelling in Colombia, Mr. Castillo’s sister Yajaira Castillo mentioned her brother was not a gang member to be feared, however relatively an on a regular basis Venezuelan who had fled his nation due to its financial disaster.
She broke down repeatedly in the course of the dialog, crying as she described her ache and confusion round her brother’s state of affairs.
“My brother isn’t a legal,” she mentioned. “That is all discrimination and xenophobia, simply because he’s Venezuelan.”
On condition that Mr. Castillo had spent such little time in america, she questioned how the U.S. authorities may have decided that he was a member of the Tren de Aragua, or was worthy of such harsh remedy.
After he entered america, officers suspected Mr. Castillo of being a member of the gang due to his tattoos, in line with two individuals acquainted with his case who weren’t licensed to debate it publicly.
He didn’t admit to being part of the legal group. Later, officers assessed his tattoos and interviewed him, they usually discovered that he didn’t seem to have ties with the Tren de Aragua, the individuals mentioned.
In an electronic mail, a spokeswoman for the Division of Homeland Safety mentioned that Mr. Castillo was in america illegally and had ultimate deportation orders issued by a federal decide.
“This administration abides by the rule of legislation,” mentioned the spokeswoman, Tricia McLaughlin. “Throughout additional evaluation, intelligence officers couldn’t definitively decide whether or not the person is or isn’t a confirmed member of TDA,” or Tren de Aragua. “He might very effectively be a member of this vicious gang. He is probably not.”
Later, Ms. McLaughlin mentioned that that they had obtained affirmation that he was a member of the gang, however didn’t present additional proof.
Within the interview, Mr. Castillo’s sister shared a screenshot that indicated that he had not tried to evade authorities when he entered the nation. The picture included particulars of an appointment her brother had secured to current himself on the border to assert asylum on Jan. 19 at 7 a.m.
The Biden administration had arrange a system for migrants to make these claims and enter america legally by means of an app referred to as CBP One. Mr. Trump ended this system on Jan. 21.
Over the past week, america authorities has despatched greater than 80 males to Guantánamo Bay as a part of bigger plan by the Trump administration to carry as many as 30,000 migrants on the Naval base. To this point, all of the detainees are believed to be Venezuelans. Some are being held in a prison building on the bottom, whereas others are detained at the Migrant Operations Center, a dormitory-style facility. (Mr. Castillo is being held on the migrant heart, in line with D.H.S.)
U.S. troops are constructing a tent camp on the web site in an effort to vastly increase its capability to carry detained migrants.
The Pentagon has described the first few Guantánamo arrivals as “high-threat unlawful aliens” and their detention on the base as “a brief measure.” However the administration has not launched any particulars proving the lads have legal information or described how officers decided they have been a risk.
Mr. Castillo is believed to be among the many first 10 males who have been despatched there from El Paso, Texas, on Feb. 4, as a result of his sister acknowledged him in {a photograph} of migrants being despatched to Guantánamo that was printed on social media by Kristi Noem, the brand new head of the Division of Homeland Safety.
The picture, wherein Mr. Castillo’s head is bowed low and an officer in camouflage and gloves holds his again, was later shared broadly on social media. Ms. Castillo occurred upon it on TikTok.
The Tren de Aragua, a multinational group born in Venezuela’s Aragua state, has expanded to different elements of Latin America and so far as america.
Mr. Castillo has a Michael Jordan tattoo on his neck, which his sister believes border authorities took as an indication that he was a member of the gang. In one of many final messages he despatched to her earlier than detention, Mr. Castillo mentioned that he had made it to the border and that officers “handled him badly due to the tattoos,” she mentioned.
Ronna Rísquez, a Venezuelan investigative journalist who has written a e-book in regards to the legal group, mentioned the authorities could be mistaken to imagine that somebody with a Michael Jordan tattoo is a member.
Some people within the Tren de Aragua would possibly put on the image, she mentioned, however this has extra to do with the truth that basketball — which may be performed with restricted assets — has develop into enormously common in poorer elements of Venezuela over the previous couple of a long time.
“The eagerness for Michael Jordan, as a result of he’s the final word image of basketball, has been round for generations,” she mentioned.
Ms. Castillo mentioned the tattoos have been merely a part of her brother’s look, which regularly included shorts and sneakers and Jordan gear. She shared a previous photograph of him sporting a sweatshirt with the “jumpman” emblem related to Mr. Jordan.
She mentioned she believed her brother’s affinity for Mr. Jordan had turned him right into a “guinea pig” for the Trump administration’s increasing deportation program.
Like many Venezuelans, Mr. Castillo had left his nation years in the past and was dwelling in Colombia, washing automobiles. His sister mentioned he was barely scraping by and had left for america within the hopes of creating extra money “to offer all the things to his son, to work and work for his son.”
His journey to the U.S. southern border started in late 2023, she mentioned. With restricted funds, it took him till January of this yr to achieve Texas. There, she mentioned, he was apprehended by the authorities.
A assessment of public police information signifies that Mr. Castillo was not convicted of any crimes whereas in Colombia.
Mr. Castillo is the eighth of 9 siblings; 4 stay in Colombia and 4 others in Venezuela. He’ll flip 30 on Feb. 23.
The Guantánamo base is finest recognized for its post-9/11 detention facility, operated by the Pentagon. It at present holds 15 foreigners as wartime prisoners, individually from the Venezuelans being held there in migrant detention.
Ms. Castillo mentioned she had recognized little about Guantánamo, solely that it was “a high-danger cell for main terrorists” and that when despatched there, prisoners “haven’t any rights, that it’s for the worst criminals.”
All she wished now for her brother, she mentioned, “is for him to be returned.”
“I don’t need him within the fingers of any authorities,” she continued. “What I need is for him to be returned to us.”
Carol Rosenberg contributed reporting from Florida and Simón Posada from Bogotá, Colombia.
