Wilmer José Vega Sandía (38) is originally from the Táchira state in Venezuela. Wilmer left Venezuela for the United States out of desperation to help his family, according to his aunt, Doris Sandia. “While he was here in Venezuela, he was in Caracas where he worked in transportation. From there he went to Chile for several years. Then he came back here because of his mother's illness.”
Wilmer has a wife and child as well as two seriously ill parents. His mother has terminal breast cancer, and his father is disabled after a stroke. He is their only son and felt responsible for them. When he realized how disabled his parents were, he decided to migrate to the US to be able to support them.
"My nephew entered the United States on April 16, 2024. He was detained by immigration for three days and assigned an electronic bracelet, which he had to wear for three months while regularly reporting to immigration authorities. Once the bracelet was removed, he began working three jobs: as an Uber driver, at a restaurant, and at a nightclub, with the goal of financially supporting his parents in Venezuela and his son," Doris said.
“His daily routine was focused on his work, and he only slept two or three hours a day,” she added.
On October 1, 2024, Wilmer was working in the United States when immigration came to his home. They left a message for him to report to them, so he went to the ICE office as soon as he got off work. ICE immediately arrested him to investigate whether he had anything to do with the gang, Tren de Aragua, because of some tattoos he has on his arms. “His tattoos are actually the names of his mother and his son and some drawings,” Doris said.
Wilmer remained in detention for six months, starting on October 1. At his December 17 hearing, the judge cleared him of any connections to a gang but gave him the choice between posting bail or requesting voluntary deportation. He couldn’t pay the bail, so he chose voluntary deportation and was informed that his release would be on January 17, 2025, but this never materialized. "Even though he expected his deportation, he remained in detention without explanation," Doris recounts. “Wilmer Vega has no criminal record in Venezuela, much less in the United States. His arrest was a bitter surprise for his family,” she added.
On March 14 2025, Wilmer was transferred to a detention center in Texas. His wife received a call informing her that his name had been mentioned twice on the deportation list for Venezuela and that the flight would depart on March 15.
“On Sunday or Monday, rumors began to spread that he had been transferred to El Salvador. Obviously, as we were all concerned, we began to investigate, find out what we could, and on Tuesday or Wednesday, we saw the list [of the 238 men sent to the CECOT prison] and confirmed that his name was on it.” Doris said.
"All I ask for is justice. We want them back with us. I'm not speaking just for my nephew, but for all the innocent people who have been taken there without reason. My nephew is a hard-working person, with a clean criminal record and no criminal ties. From a very young age, he has been an impeccable young man," Doris emphasizes.
In a video on social media, Wilmer’s father spoke out with emotion:
“We are two disabled people, alone in this world. He went to the United States to seek a future for us, to help support us. We are struggling to get by; we are two disabled people, and she has breast cancer. He is not a criminal; he is a hard-working young man who has never had any problems with the law and has never been to prison in his life. Furthermore, he does not belong to any gang in Aragua; he is a very healthy, hard-working young man. We want him to be released as soon as possible so that we can have him here with us.”
References:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=687746100407756
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DIhLGSehTAb/
https://www.tiktok.com/@free.vega.sandia/video/7491017393959963959
https://www.instagram.com/reportelagrita/reel/DHgftocxcWF/
https://elestimulo.com/migracion/2025-04-04/tachirenses-presos-el-salvador/