Venezuela Blocks Access to Site Where U.S. Deportees Died
Key takeaways
- Jhonattan, 40, was one of the 146 migrants deported from the United States on the same day the powerful earthquakes struck.
- Venezuela's intelligence agency, Sebin, has barred both journalists and victims' relatives from accessing the area where the deportees had been staying.
- The Folha reporter was denied access to the site, located in a mountainous area of the coastal city of Macuto, in La Guaira state.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Jhonattan, 40, was one of the 146 migrants deported from the United States on the same day the powerful earthquakes struck. The group had been housed by the Venezuelan government in a facility that later collapsed. Yeison has not heard from his brother since that day. When he tried to reach the site on Wednesday (1), he was turned away.
Venezuela's intelligence agency, Sebin, has barred both journalists and victims' relatives from accessing the area where the deportees had been staying. The site was completely destroyed, and dozens of people remain trapped beneath the rubble.
The Folha reporter was denied access to the site, located in a mountainous area of the coastal city of Macuto, in La Guaira state. The same happened to Yeison and his family, who were there. Similar accounts have been repeated by relatives of other deportees.