Nineteen-year-old Jeferson Escalona, who recently endured a horrific ordeal at the Bluebonnet immigrant detention center. Located 200 miles to the west of Dallas, this facility is astonishing. We managed to get this photograph of him playing soccer, a rare moment of joy in the chaos. The Management and Training Corporation operates the facility under a government contract with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). It has become the de facto first stop for Venezuelan detainees who await imminent deportation to their home country—or in some cases, as far as El Salvador.
Their plight is a reminder of the humanitarian catastrophe caused by the protracted, nettlesome crisis in Venezuela. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans have been forced to flee their homeland. They want to escape the crushing economic collapse and the brutal authoritarian crackdown suffered under President Nicolas Maduro. For detainees such as Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the dangers are compounded by wrongful deportations. On March 15, Garcia was deported. He now finds himself in CECOT, one of El Salvador’s maximum-security facilities infamous for its brutality.
The Situation at Bluebonnet
The Bluebonnet facility accommodates an average of 846 detainees per day. This is reflected in ICE detention data projected for FY 2025. Venezuelan detainees have written home asking for great urgency, using their bodies to form “S-O-S” as an emergency maritime signal to the outside world. Escalona, one of the plaintiffs in the case, has cited concerns about being returned to Venezuela and then possibly deported to El Salvador.
When I get out of here, Escalona said, the desperation expressed by many on the detention center’s hunger strike. In the middle of all this confusion, he applied for voluntary return to Venezuela but was turned down. His story takes a darker turn as Bluebonnet’s detainees begin to get nightmare-inducing news from immigration agents. These notices claim their participation in the Tren de Aragua criminal organization, making them vulnerable to deportation under wartime legislation.
Millan, another former Bluebonnet detainee, has a pending case for asylum, with a hearing for his case scheduled on May 1. On April 18, he had a harrowing first day as volunteers as dozens of detainees were shackled and loaded in buses headed to Abilene Regional Airport. In reality, the bus was eventually turned around and returned back to the detention center, leaving dozens of detainees worried about what would happen to them.
“If he gets removed under the Alien Enemies Act, then that court date doesn’t exist; he’ll never have that court date,” explained an immigration official regarding the implications of deportation under current laws.
Struggles and Conditions
Advocates have documented reports from detainees at Bluebonnet of hunger and overcrowding. During a video call with his wife just the other day, Millan explained that he and other inmates are not being given adequate meals. To resist the sting of hunger, he focuses on sleeping as much as possible.
Management and Training Corporation, which ran the facility, vigorously defended its practices. A spokesperson assured us that all detainees at Bluebonnet are served meals from a menu approved by a certified dietitian. This provides them with the desired daily caloric intake. It is little wonder that most detainees are not convinced by such assertions based on what they have described experiencing.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is similarly keen to highlight its dedication to treating people humanely and abiding by federal standards. DHS representatives said that they employ a range of tactics to preserve capacity. They prioritize ongoing compliance with federal standards and always assert their pledge to humane treatment.
Legal Challenges and Future Prospects
The legal battle over the deportation of Venezuelan detainees is still ongoing. The Supreme Court recently intervened to halt deportations from the Bluebonnet facility on a temporary basis. This ruling provides critical reprieve for detainees facing the imminent threat of deportation to perilous situations in Venezuela or El Salvador.
Despite these legal advancements, uncertainty continues to cast a long shadow for people like Escalona and Millan. They do so under the shadow of the arcane immigration law, the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, which allows targeted deportation in times of war or hostilities. Under the CECOT policy, at least 137 Venezuelans have already been expelled to CECOT, with their future still uncertain.
One unnamed detainee spoke out about the legal proceedings taking place against them. “How can they deport me to El Salvador if I don’t have a criminal record in the three countries I’ve lived in,” so they asked. Their stories rang true with the same confusion and fear that consumed most of the people detained that day.
Leave a Reply