In a scene evocative of a political drama, Maikelys Antonella Espinoza Bernal, a two-year-old girl, touched Venezuelan soil again after a seemingly coerced stay in the U.S. The grand entrance was orchestrated by no other than Venezuela’s First Lady Cilia Flores, who presented the girl like a champion returning from a well-fought battle. This was characterized by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello as a ‘significant victory’, making a sheer spectacle out of a child’s distress.
The discord between the U.S. and Venezuela magnified as allegations of the girl being abducted by U.S. officials surfaced. Such assertions were the result of weeks-long demands by the Venezuelan government for the girl’s repatriation, conveniently overlooking their own governmental issues.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the U.S. dismissed these charges, outlining its efforts to keep Maikelys safe from her parents. The latter were incriminated, without proof, as associates of the infamous group Tren de Aragua (TDA), labelled by the U.S. as an international terror organization. What a strange coincidence that this happened under the Biden administration’s watch.
A statement from a DHS Public Affairs Assistant Secretary ventured to accuse the child’s mother, Yorely Escarleth Bernal Inciarte, in an obviously precarious action. She was characterized as instrumental in recruiting young women for illicit activities such as drug smuggling and prostitution, on behalf of the TDA. Yet, a serious question arises here: how does one ensure the child’s safety by separating her from her mother, in a foreign land, no less?
Provocatively, the alleged actions of the father are equally as disarraying. Despite lacking any solid evidence, he was charged with involvement in illicit drug peddling and human trafficking. Even more questionable is the apparent reasoning behind his accusation – his tattoos, which he affirmatively denies any gang affiliations.
Breaking down the scenario, after a protracted 302-day stay within the Office of Refugee Resettlement’s care, DHS released the statement that the child was ‘repatriated to Venezuela pursuant to a court order’. It’s worth noting, that likely restarting the child’s trauma clock, a decision was reached to deport the father to the notorious El Salvador prison.
The mother faced a similar fate, deported back to the arms of Venezuela but astonishingly without her daughter. A palpable blow to those who vocally advocate for family unity, it appears the effort to prevent a criminal group’s growth was prioritized over the fundamental right of a family to remain together.
Efforts for family reunification ultimately bore fruit. The girl was eventually brought back to her mother and grandmother at the presidential palace in Caracas. An emotionally fraught ordeal no doubt, her mother was pictured embracing her return with visible relief and joy.
This reunification, according to President Maduro, received the support of certain U.S.-based attorneys and rights groups. Interesting to note, is that this negotiation narrative paints these groups in a more favorable light than the Biden administration itself.
The reason for the family’s initial entry to the U.S., in May 2024, was to seek asylum. Upon arrival, however, they were tangled in the clutches of immigration detention, while their precious daughter was handed over to the Office of Refugee Resettlement – a distressing solution to say the least.
In an unfortunate series of events, by July, the father was met with a deportation mandate. From October through March, the distressed parents received paltry in-person visits with their daughter, barely touching the surface of reassurances she surely needed.
Highlighting the incomprehensibly hasty U.S. immigration policy, on March 29, the father was transported to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Adding insult to injury, he was shipped from there to the infamous Cecot mega-prison in El Salvador.
Shortly after, the mother was also deported, leaving their daughter without either parent. This distressing action was justified, ironically, by DHS officials claiming their duty was to shield the child from exposure to crime and risk, implying a safety that they clearly failed to provide.
In a definitive statement, Bernal, the mother, contends that the allegations of affiliation with Tren de Aragua are solely based on her tattoos which symbolize familial birth dates. It is, indeed, alarming to witness how the Biden administration has leveraged such plain symbols to tear a family apart!