Venezuelan soccer coach detained at border, deported to El Salvador prison, tortured
Jul 18, 2025
Country of origin: Venezuela

Leonardo José Colmenares Solórzano, a 31-year-old former youth soccer coach from Venezuela, was detained by CBP agents at a scheduled border appointment in October 2024 after they photographed his tattoos. Internal DHS data showed he had no criminal history and no U.S. or foreign convictions or charges. He was deported to CECOT prison in El Salvador on March 15, 2025, under the Alien Enemies Act as part of a group of 238 Venezuelan deportees labeled as terrorists and gang members despite DHS data showing most had no U.S. criminal convictions. While incarcerated, Colmenares reported being tortured—guards stomped on his hands, poured filthy water in his ears, and threatened beatings. He was returned to Venezuela on July 18, 2025, as part of a prisoner swap.
Timeline
Sources
- Trump Administration Knew Vast Majority of Venezuelans Sent to Salvadoran Prison Had Not Been Convicted of U.S. Crimes
ProPublica·May 30, 2025·archived copy
- Men detained in El Salvador
- Washington Post
- Now That They’re Free, Venezuelan Men Want the World to Know What They Endured in CECOT
ProPublica·Jul 30, 2025·archived copy
- Trump deported 238 Venezuelans to El Salvador despite pending asylum cases
- usnews.com
- Trump deported 238 Venezuelans to El Salvador, dozens with active asylum cases
sph.straitstimes.com·Apr 2, 2025·archived copy
- Venezuelan deportees say they endured months of abuse inside a Salvadoran prison
Texas Tribune·Jul 30, 2025·archived copy
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