Venezuelan journalist detained in Miami traffic stop, held 19 days in ICE tent
Jul 26, 2025·Location: Miami, FL
Country of origin: Venezuela

Wilmer Roberto Solano Dávila, a 59-year-old Venezuelan journalist and Uber driver with a pending asylum case, was pulled over by Customs and Border Protection agents while driving a rideshare fare near Haulover Beach. He had entered the U.S. legally on a journalist's visa in 2015, held Temporary Protected Status from 2021 until it lapsed in September 2025, and had a valid work permit and Florida driver's license, but was detained and held first at a Dania Beach processing site and then at the Krome North detention complex. He described being packed into an outdoor tent with as many as 250 people and no visible smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, or sprinklers, before being released on $5,000 bond after 19 days in custody and now wears an ankle monitor while his asylum case continues. Solano previously worked as a correspondent covering Venezuelan opposition politics and said he was attacked by government officials while reporting in 2011.
Sources
- Venezuelan journalist Wilmer Solano Dávila detained by CBP in Miami
Los Angeles Times·Jul 29, 2026·archived copy
- A Venezuelan Reporter Spent Almost Three Weeks in an ICE Tent. He's Now Describing What He Saw.
Latin Times·Aug 27, 2026·archived copy
- Venezuelan journalist detained by federal immigration agents in Florida
Press Freedom Tracker·Aug 14, 2026
- A Venezuelan journalist detained in Miami.
- Detained at the Border: Venezuelan Journalist Wilmer Solano and the Rising Press Freedom Crisis in the United States – Then We Woke Up
The New We Woke Up·Aug 11, 2026
More incidents in Florida
- Nursing mother and two children detained by ICE in Fort Myers, prompting protestOct 13, 2026 · Fort Myers, FL
- Russian asylum seeker on hunger strike after months in Georgia ICE facilityOct 12, 2026 · FL
- Asylum seeker with work permit detained by ICE minutes after traffic stopOct 10, 2026 · Collier County, FL
- U.S. citizen held over 30 hours in Florida jail despite proof of citizenshipOct 8, 2026 · Leon County, FL
- Venezuelan couple detained by ICE at workplace in North MiamiOct 8, 2026 · North Miami, FL
- Carbone Miami waiter detained by ICE at airport en route to honeymoonOct 8, 2026 · Miami, FL