Overview

• Two-year-old Maikelys Espinoza was reunited with her mother in Caracas after being separated from her deported parents for over a year.
• The U.S. Department of Homeland Security alleged her parents had ties to the Tren de Aragua gang, but provided no evidence, and the family denies the claims.
• Her father was sent to El Salvador's CECOT prison in March under the Alien Enemies Act, while her mother was deported to Venezuela in April.
• Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro publicly welcomed Maikelys's return, calling it a 'profoundly humane act of justice,' as protests in Caracas labeled her separation an 'abduction.'
• The case highlights ongoing criticism of U.S. deportation policies, lack of due process, and the use of unverified gang affiliation claims to justify family separations.