Overview
- Attorney confirms Jose Barco was deported on Nov. 14 after being taken from the Florence, Arizona ICE facility earlier in the week.
- An immigration court denied his appeals in late September and ordered removal to Venezuela, Cuba or Mexico.
- Relatives and defense team say they learned of his removal from another detainee and that ICE has not provided details or comment.
- Activists rallied outside ICE’s Phoenix office, alleging harsh detention conditions and PTSD concerns and saying those conditions pushed him to abandon further appeals.
- Barco, a Venezuelan-born Army combat veteran awarded a Purple Heart, served 15 years for a 2009 Colorado shooting; a prior attempt to deport him to Venezuela was rejected by that country.