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Venezuelan father wrongly deported by ICE due to 'data error,' returns traumatized to Chicago family

Jul 7, 2026·Location: Chicago, IL

Country of origin: Venezuela

Venezuelan father wrongly deported by ICE due to 'data error,' returns traumatized to Chicago family
Photo via WBEZ

Jose Enrique Ojeda Duarte, a 31-year-old Venezuelan asylum-seeker and father of two who entered the U.S. legally in 2024, was arrested by ICE agents in Chicago on September 15, 2025, while driving to work during Operation Midway Blitz. He was told he was being taken to a court date but instead spent about seven months in detention, including at Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas, where he described 'inhumane' conditions such as frozen or expired food and lack of medical care when he contracted COVID-19. In April 2026, despite his pending asylum case, he was deported to Venezuela; DHS later admitted in court filings that a data error in its removal system caused the wrongful deportation. After his attorneys and partner, Leydimar Castillo, pushed for his return, a federal judge intervened and he was brought back to the U.S. in June 2026, reuniting with Castillo and their two children on Chicago's South Side. He has since struggled with anxiety, insomnia and fear, saying, 'Sometimes, I get a terrible feeling, like a fear of going out.' His asylum case remains unresolved.

Timeline

Jul 7, 2026—Reports detail his ongoing trauma and unresolved asylum case
Jun 1, 2026—Returned to the U.S. after federal judge's intervention, reuniting with family in Chicago
Apr 1, 2026—Deported to Venezuela despite pending asylum case, due to a DHS 'data quality issue'
Sep 15, 2025—Arrested by ICE agents in Chicago while driving to work during Operation Midway Blitz
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