Venezuelan woman with TPS detained 9 months, deported to El Salvador instead of home
Mar 15, 2025
Country of origin: Venezuela

Scarleth Rodríguez, 21, a Venezuelan with Temporary Protected Status, was arrested in August 2024 after turning herself in to border authorities and held in detention for nine months without being allowed to leave. On March 15, 2025, she was deported 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. Since returning from El Salvador, she has been held in a Texas detention center where she was recently beaten. Her mother in Venezuela had prepared a meal expecting her arrival.
Sources
- Venezuelans could have returned with women El Salvador refused: lawyers
- Venezuelans deported last week included 8 women who were returned to US, court filings say
- The ordeal of eight Venezuelan women deported to El Salvador and rejected by Bukele’s government
english.elpais.com·May 14, 2025·archived copy
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