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Venezuelan woman with TPS arrested, deported to El Salvador instead of Venezuela

Mar 15, 2025 · St. George, UT, Venezuela

Venezuelan woman with TPS arrested, deported to El Salvador instead of Venezuela

Franyeli Carolina Zambrano Manrique, 30, a Venezuelan with Temporary Protected Status, was arrested on February 8, 2025 during a traffic stop in Utah with her husband. Despite having valid TPS status, ICE officers accused them both of gang membership based on tattoos and refused to accept their denials. She was transferred to Henderson detention center in Nevada, then deported on March 15, 2025 despite a federal judge's order halting deportations. She was told she was being flown to Venezuela but was instead taken to El Salvador, where she was kept on the plane and sent back to the United States the same day. She was later deported to Venezuela on April 5, 2025, but her husband remains detained at CECOT in El Salvador.

Timeline

Mar 24, 2025Lawyers reported women's return to U.S., contradicting DOJ claims that deportation flights could not be turned around despite court order
Mar 15, 2025Eight Venezuelan women with TPS arrested and deported to El Salvador despite federal judge's order halting deportations; El Salvador refused to accept them and returned them to Texas

Sources

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