Deported Venezuelans Missing
Over 100 Deported Venezuelans Missing After Hotel Collapses Amid Earthquakes
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More than 100 Venezuelans deported from the United States arrived in Caracas on June 24 — and within hours were buried under rubble. Two back-to-back earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude, struck northern Venezuela that evening, collapsing the Hotel La Llanada in the coastal state of La Guaira where the 146 deportees had been taken for processing AP News. Five days later, over 100 of them remain missing Newsday.
The 7.5-magnitude tremor is the strongest to hit Venezuela since 1900 The Guardian. Nationwide, at least 1,450 confirmed deaths have been recorded, with up to 51,000 people reported missing via online registries UN News. An estimated 6.8 million people could be affected by the disaster.
Two Earthquakes, 39 Seconds Apart, Flatten Hotel
The deportation flight from Miami landed in Caracas on the morning of June 24, carrying 146 people — including 19 women and seven children Newsday. Venezuelan authorities moved the group to Hotel La Llanada in La Guaira for temporary holding. At 6:03 PM, a 7.2-magnitude quake struck. Just 39 seconds later, a 7.5-magnitude tremor hit. The hotel collapsed entirely during the second tremor The Guardian.
Survivor Lisbeth Portillo, 58, escaped the rubble with roughly 20 others. She walked five kilometers through the chaos to reach a National Guard building and contact her family. She described surviving as being "born again" Newsday. Rescuers are now reportedly digging with their bare hands due to a lack of heavy equipment AP News.
Whistleblower Claim: A Court Order Was Ignored
The deportation flight may have violated a federal court order. Whistleblower documents provided to Congress allege that Emil Bove — a Trump administration nominee for a federal judgeship — directed Justice Department staff to defy a court ruling that specifically barred the transfer of this group of Venezuelans Justice Integrity Report. If proven, that could expose administration officials to charges of criminal contempt.
Republican Senator Charles Grassley has dismissed the allegations as "disingenuous posturing" aimed at derailing Bove's judicial nomination, arguing there is "no scandal" even if the claims are accurate Justice Integrity Report. The Trump administration has framed the broader deportation push as fulfilling promises to restore order to the immigration system.
Miami Community Demands Halt to Venezuela Deportations
On June 26, community leaders in Doral, Florida, held an emergency news conference to demand that the U.S. stop sending Venezuelans back to the disaster zone Miami Herald. Helene Villalonga, president of AMAVEX — a group representing mothers of Venezuelan exiles — called on President Trump to grant Deferred Enforced Departure or Temporary Protected Status to Venezuelans in the U.S. "Today, we ask that emergency protections be extended to every Venezuelan anywhere in the world," she said Miami Herald.
Venezuela's interim leader Delcy RodrÃguez declared a state of emergency on June 25 and formed a commission to audit state housing The Guardian. But critics say the government response has been too slow. Engineers have warned that many state-built housing developments were "rushed for political purposes" and are now structurally dangerous Reuters.
Rescue Window Closes With Over 100 Still Unaccounted For
As of June 29, the critical 72-hour survival window has closed AP News. The search-and-rescue phase is giving way to recovery. Of the 146 people on the flight, more than 100 remain unaccounted for beneath the ruins of Hotel La Llanada. Families in the U.S. have turned to WhatsApp groups and posts on X to track the missing, as official communication channels in La Guaira remain disrupted The Durango Herald.
Human rights groups say the timing of the deportation amounts to sending people into a known disaster zone. Advocacy organization CBS News reported that activists describe continued deportations as a "death sentence" for those returned CBS News. The U.S. has historically paused deportations after major natural disasters, but no such pause was announced before or after this flight.
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