Luis Alfredo Núñez Falcón, 38, was born in Portuguesa state of Venezuela, but lived in Puerto Cabello (Carabobo state, Venezuela) since he was 17 where he worked in construction and as a fisherman. In August 2023, he decided to migrate to the U.S. at the urging of a friend who had already migrated.
He left for Colombia and then Mexico City. On September 2, while in Mexico, Luis and his traveling group were robbed, so they couldn’t wait for a CPB-one appointment, and they decided to turn themselves in to U.S. immigration.
Luis was detained for two and a half months, and on December 8, he was released and headed to Detroit, his destination," says Orianny Vásquez, Luis Alfredo's wife who remained with their two children in Venezuela.
Luis, found work as a snowplow driver and in the construction during his stay in the U.S.
In December 2024, while he was shopping for the New Year's holidays, police stopped Luis and searched his car . During the search, they told him to lift up his shirt. They saw his tattoos and took him into custody. "I thought they would release him soon, because they told him they were investigating because he could be from Tren de Aragua," Orianny said.
Orianny claims that he was detained because of his rose and watch tattoos, since Luis already has an immigration process underway in the United States, and the papers to prove that. He also is said to have had a court date pending on March 27th.
Luis stayed in ICE custody after that arrest, but it wasn’t until March 8 that he was able to communicate with his wife. On March 14, he was told he would be deported to Venezuela, but he was instead sent to CECOT prison in El Salvador.
According to Human Rights Watch, detainees in CECOT are beaten by guards daily, denied medical care and never allowed sunlight or outside contact.
“Cecot is not meant for rehabilitation,” said Noah Bullock, executive director of Cristosal, another human rights organization. “It is meant for permanent exile, permanent punishment. “In that sense, it’s intentionally cruel,” added Bullock.
There were never any formal charges filed against Luis, or opportunities for Luis to hire a lawyer and present evidence defend himself. The US has never presented any evidence against Luis, and Orianny never heard from the US Government what happened to her husband.
Orianny only knew her husband was in El Salvador because she was able to recognize him among the videos and photographs that were published after the Venezuelans were sent to the Salvadoran prison.
“That's Luis,” I said, “I know him, and when the list came out on Tuesday, it was indeed him, he was number 145 ,” says Orianny, who says that these have been difficult days, but now more than ever she has all her faith in God, knowing that everything will be resolved.
“I tell the families involved to trust in God, to trust in the innocence of our relatives, because justice will soon be done. As Psalm 34:19 says: 'Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers them,'” the young Venezuelan woman says hopefully.