Overview

• On July 24, Neiyerver Adrián León Rengel lodged a formal $1.3 million claim with the Department of Homeland Security seeking compensation for negligence, malicious prosecution and emotional distress.
• He says ICE agents arrested him on March 13 in Irving, Texas, by wrongly labeling him a member of the Tren de Aragua gang, an affiliation he denies.
• Instead of returning him to Venezuela, U.S. officials flew him to El Salvador where he spent over four months at CECOT and alleges physical, verbal and psychological abuse.
• Rengel was released on July 18 as part of a U.S.–Venezuela prisoner swap and now lives in Caracas while he awaits a government response.
• U.S. immigration agencies must answer within six months or face a federal suit, and Rengel’s claim could spur similar actions by the other deported Venezuelans.