Venezuelan deportee dies in earthquake-collapsed hotel days after ICE deportation flight
Jun 29, 2026·Location: Caracas, VE
Country of origin: Venezuela

Daniel Alejandro Núñez Ramírez, 28, had lived in the U.S. for four years after leaving Venezuela at age 20 and was residing in Jacksonville, Florida. He was detained by ICE during a traffic stop on May 10, 2026, and pressured to sign voluntary deportation papers. He was deported on Flight 164, which landed in Venezuela on June 24, 2026, and he was subsequently placed by Venezuelan authorities in a hotel used to house deportees. Hours after his arrival, an earthquake collapsed the hotel, killing him along with dozens of other deportees. His mother, Oswadeliz Núñez Ramírez, a lawyer, said she was not notified of his deportation until after he had already been handed over to Venezuelan intelligence services (Sebin). She recovered his body five days later at an improvised morgue, had him cremated, and later received only a box of his ashes after being unable to retrieve his belongings. The U.S. government said it bore no further responsibility once he left ICE custody.
Timeline
Sources
- He died in Venezuela’s earthquakes a day after the US deported him. Now his mother’s seeking justice
CNN·Jul 17, 2026·archived copy
- A Venezuelan mother to the US government: ‘I need the next deportees to be treated as people’
english.elpais.com·Jul 3, 2026·archived copy
- Miami Herald
- No justice for the passengers of Flight 164: Deported by Trump, detained by Venezuela, killed in the earthquake
english.elpais.com·Aug 18, 2026·archived copy
- CourtListener
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