Leonardo José Colmenares Solórzano (31) left Venezuela and his job as a youth soccer coach in July of 2024. His sister, Leidys Trejo Solórzano, said he had a hard time supporting himself and his mother and that Venezuela’s crumbling economy made it hard for him to find a better paying job.
Leonardo was detained at his legal entry appointment to approach the U.S.-Mexico border in October because of his many tattoos, his sister said. Those tattoos include the names of relatives, a clock, an owl and a crown she said was inspired by the Real Madrid soccer club’s logo.
Leonardo was not flagged as having a criminal history in the DHS data obtained by the recent ProPublica research. Nor did they find any U.S. or foreign convictions or charges in their review. Leidys said her brother stayed out of trouble and has no criminal record in Venezuela either. She described his expulsion as a U.S.-government-sponsored kidnapping.
“It’s been so difficult. Even talking about what happened is hard for me,” said Trejo, who has scoured the internet for videos and photos of her brother in the Salvadoran prison. “Many nights I can’t sleep because I’m so anxious.”