Misguided Deportation: Women Share Ordeal in Trump Administration’s Flights

Two women, Heymar Padilla Moyetones and Scarleth Rodriguez, share their plight after being misled about a deportation flight meant for El Salvador, where they were turned away and sent back to the U.S. Their accounts reveal chaos in ICE practices and raised concerns about the vetting process used to identify individuals being deported. They express disappointment and fear regarding their future and families left behind.

On March 15, the Trump administration transported over 200 men to El Salvador, intending for them to be detained in the infamous CECOT prison. While this operation gained attention when the men were seen being escorted into police vehicles, eight women aboard the planes were notably absent from the public eye. After their arrival in El Salvador, the women were reportedly turned away by the Salvadoran authorities and subsequently returned to the United States, only to face detention once again.

In a recent interview with NBC News, two of the women, Heymar Padilla Moyetones, 24, and Scarleth Rodriguez, shared their accounts of the turbulent deportation process, alleging they had been misled about their final destination. “We were lied to,” stated Moyetones, recounting how they were told they would land in Venezuela but found themselves in El Salvador upon arrival.

The Trump administration defended its deportation actions by asserting that all individuals sent to El Salvador had been thoroughly vetted and posed clear ties to the Tren de Aragua gang. However, it seems the vetting failed to account for whether El Salvador would accept female detainees, leading to a chaotic situation where Moyetones described ICE officials preventing the women from disembarking the plane once they landed, saying, “They didn’t let us leave.”

The incident exemplifies the disorder surrounding these deportation flights. Court documentation reveals errors made in separate cases, including the wrongful deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a man married to a U.S. citizen and protected by a court injunction. Advocates for immigrants have raised concerns about the administration’s reliance on potentially unreliable means of identifying gang members, such as tattoos.

Moyetones and Rodriguez, both housed in a Texas detention center, shared a bond formed through their shared ordeal. They each maintain that they hold no affiliation with gangs. “I came with a lot of dreams,” Moyetones expressed, lamenting the lost hopes she harbored for a better future for her now-2-year-old son, who remains under the care of a relative.

Their accounts contradict the Trump administration’s claims of a fair and transparent deportation process. Senior officials have rejected the need for judicial review prior to deportations, despite judicial rulings suggesting otherwise. An affidavit from an unnamed woman, S.Z.F.R., corroborated the women’s experiences and raised questions about the legality of deporting individuals without due process.

Lee Gelernt, an attorney from the American Civil Liberties Union, noted, “It just shows how little process there is and how little due diligence.” He emphasized that sending individuals to face severe consequences in another country requires thorough scrutiny. The Department of Homeland Security has declined to comment on the specifics of this case due to ongoing litigation.

Reports indicate delays and confusion leading up to the flights, with the women recalling at least one instance of being prepared for departure but subsequently turned back. An affidavit supports their claims of mismanagement and miscommunication among ICE officials. Nine women were initially taken to the airport, but eight were loaded onto a plane, while the remaining group was left wondering about their fate.

Upon arrival at the airport in El Salvador, Moyetones and Rodriguez experienced stark revelations about their actual destination. Rodriguez recalled a layover in Guatemala, where ICE agents provided food but only reiterated that they were headed to Venezuela. Their realization unfolded as they glimpsed their true location upon landing. “We would know where we were, and we were not in Venezuela,” Rodriguez asserted.

Rodriguez’s family in Venezuela expressed distress over the mix-up in her deportation. Her mother, Yelitza, conveyed her emotions through video, revealing her hopes for her daughter’s future as Scarleth navigated her asylum journey in the United States. “Imagine you go with a future, with an aspiration, a hope, and… you get detained… As if you’re a criminal,” Yelitza lamented.

The experiences of Heymar Padilla Moyetones and Scarleth Rodriguez highlight the chaotic nature of deportation processes under the Trump administration, revealing deceptive practices and inadequate vetting that led to their wrongful detention. These accounts underscore broader concerns regarding the treatment of immigrants and the legality of deporting individuals without proper legal recourse. The disturbing nature of their situation illustrates the urgent need for a reevaluation of immigration policies and processes to ensure fairness and compliance with due process rights.

Original Source: www.nbcnews.com