Trump Administration Deported Venezuelans. Now Over 100 Are Missing After Quakes

A deportation flight that landed in Venezuela just hours before a pair of devastating earthquakes struck has left more than 100 people unaccounted for, with families across the country and the United States desperately searching for answers. The flight, which departed from the US , carried 146 Venezuelans , including 19 women and seven children, according to ICE Flight Monitor, an initiative of Human Rights First that tracks deportation flights.

The deportees were being processed at the Hotel Santuario La Llanada in La Guaira, one of the coastal regions hit hardest when magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 quakes struck on June 24. The building collapsed during the disaster, trapping many inside. Survivor Lisbeth Portillo, 58, said she escaped the rubble with around 20 others and walked roughly five kilometres barefoot through chaos before reaching a National Guard post where she could finally contact relatives.

Families say at least 25 deportees were killed , with 21 still missing and only nine confirmed to have survived, though several recovered bodies remain unidentified. Daniel Núñez, who had called his mother minutes after landing to say he was safe, has not been heard from since. Angelo Mejía Meléndez, 27, was confirmed dead after a fellow survivor witnessed his death beside him.

Relatives say authorities have restricted access to the collapsed hotel site, hampering both rescue efforts and the search for missing loved ones. Many of the deportees had only minor immigration infractions, with families saying their relatives were detained during routine ICE check-ins or traffic stops before being swiftly removed from the country.

Venezuela's overall earthquake toll has climbed sharply, with the government reporting 1,719 deaths and over 5,034 injuries as of Monday. The United Nations estimates that as many as 50,000 people remain missing nationwide. International rescue teams, including units from the United States, Mexico and other allied nations, continue working around the clock through the rubble in La Guaira and Caracas.

It remains unclear whether deportation flights to Venezuela will continue amid the crisis, as the Department of Homeland Security has not responded to requests for comment. The tragedy has reignited scrutiny over US deportation policy toward Venezuelan nationals.