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

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
Sources
- La historia de José Ojeda: un joven que logró regresar de Venezuela a Chicago después de ser deportado por error
Univision·Jun 18, 2026·archived copy
- Chicago man deported in ‘error’ has been struggling to adjust since feds returned him to the U.S.
WBEZ·Jul 7, 2026·archived copy
Chicago Sun-Times·Jul 7, 2026
- Venezuelan Immigrant Returns to U.S. After Wrongful Deportation Separated Him From Wife and Children for Nine Months
latintimes.com·Jun 18, 2026·archived copy
- La historia de joven venezolano que logró regresar a Chicago después de ser deportado por error
entornointeligente.com·Jun 18, 2026·archived copy
- US government said ICE deported a Chicago man to Venezuela in ‘error’ and let him return to his family
bancodeprofissionais.com·Jun 29, 2026·archived copy
- Trump team has deported more than 170 migrants in violation of court orders: report
independent.co.uk·Sep 15, 2026
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