Crazy Flux
  • Business
  • World
  • Stocks
  • Investing
  • Business
  • World
  • Stocks
  • Investing

Crazy Flux

World

‘You are there and you are not alive’: the harsh testimony of a deported Venezuelan who spent 15 days in Guantanamo

by admin March 13, 2025
March 13, 2025
‘You are there and you are not alive’: the harsh testimony of a deported Venezuelan who spent 15 days in Guantanamo

With his hands and feet handcuffed, tied leg to leg with other detainees, José Daniel Simancas Rodríguez was put on a plane. He says he was told he would go to Miami.

Hours later, when they landed, Simancas and his fellow passengers were transferred to a bus with the windows covered by bags. By then he already suspected where he had arrived: Guantanamo. What he did not imagine was that this was just the beginning of a nightmare that would last 15 days.

Simancas was one of 177 Venezuelans deported by the United States who had been transferred to the US naval base in Cuba, a measure criticized by human rights organizations who say the base is not appropriate for housing migrants.

Although at some point he had been told that he would be deported, the 30-year-old Venezuelan feared that he would never see his five children again. “I had already completely given up,” he recalls.

“That’s what torture is, confinement. You are not alive. You are there and you are not alive, where you don’t know if it is day or night, you don’t really know the time, you are eating poorly, every day that you are there you are dying little by little. I cried every day during those 15 days.”

He says that in 15 days, he was allowed to shower only twice and that to do so they took him to the bathroom with handcuffs, carried out thorough security checks on him and kept him under constant surveillance. He felt that he was being treated like a terrorist, he says.

The hunger he suffered during his stay in Guantanamo is what he remembers most, he says. Three plates a day of food that he does not remember fondly and in portions that he believes were very small. “He licked the plate” as if the food was very tasty, but in reality he did it because he was so hungry.

A long road to ‘hell’

Like many immigrants, Simancas says he arrived illegally in the United States in May 2024 through the dangerous Darien jungle. He had previously lived in Ecuador, where he says he stayed until 2022. He then spent time in Panama, Costa Rica and Mexico while continuing his journey north. This entire journey was aimed at finding a better life, he says.

From a very young age, he says he has worked in construction, first as a laborer and then as a construction foreman in Venezuela, Ecuador and Costa Rica. His plan was to do the same on American soil.

However, when he arrived in the United States, he was detained and spent eight days in a federal prison and then in the US Immigration Service Detention Center located in El Paso, Texas, he says, where he remained for nine months awaiting deportation.

During his interview by immigration agents, he said he was born in Maracay, Aragua state – a detail that he believes may have raised alarm bells for US officials. Then they saw that he had tattoos, which he says he has had since he was 16. Officials began asking him questions to determine if he had any ties to the Venezuelan criminal gang Tren de Aragua, considered a terrorist group by the United States.

US authorities have previously claimed that Venezuelan migrants sent to Guantanamo had ties to Tren de Aragua.

“I was the only one they set aside, just for saying I was from Maracay … for them, I was already part of the Tren de Aragua,” said Simancas, who added that they immediately accused him of being a criminal.

The Trump administration had announced that Guantanamo Bay was reserved for transferring “the worst of the worst,” although several court filings revealed that not all those sent there represent a “high threat.”

Simancas says that the group of 15 people with whom he was detained had been told that they would be transferred to Miami, but they ended up at the base in Cuba.

His stay in Guantanamo ended on February 20, when the Venezuelans held at the military base were taken to Honduras and then picked up there by a plane from Venezuela’s state airline Conviasa, sent by the Venezuelan government.

The government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said at the time that it had requested the repatriation of the Venezuelans who were “unjustly” held in Guantanamo.

“They are not criminals, they are not bad people, they were people who emigrated as a consequence of the sanctions [of the United States] … in Venezuela, we welcome them as a productive force, with a hug of love,” said Maduro.

According to UNHCR, almost 8 million people have left Venezuela since 2014 as a result of the political, economic and social crisis in the South American nation.

Maduro said on Saturday that the decision of the United States to revoke the license for the American oil company Chevron to carry out some operations in the South American country “affected” the dialogue between both nations, as well as the flights to repatriate Venezuelan migrants.

He now says he wants to try to find opportunities doing what he says he has always done, working in construction and leaving behind his hopes of fulfilling the American dream that ended up full of memories he now prefers to forget.

“I have spoken with everyone and they tell me that they do not sleep. If they did all that to prevent one from returning to the country, they succeeded. They wanted to give us a trauma, they succeeded,” said Simancas about his return to Venezuela, adding that in Guantanamo, “you want to kill yourself every day.”

If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health issues, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 in the US. Click here for help in Latin American countries and Spain. Learn more at cnne.com/ayuda.

This post appeared first on cnn.com

previous post
My Downside Target for the S&P 500
next post
New Zealand police renew hunt for fugitive father and three children missing since 2021

Related Posts

Rubio to skip Ukraine talks as Zelensky rejects...

April 23, 2025

‘The Americans didn’t learn their lesson’: Meet the...

March 25, 2025

King Charles and Queen Camilla pay a surprise...

April 10, 2025

Trump fired the latest tariff shot at China....

February 3, 2025

Pope Francis, voice for the poor who transformed...

April 21, 2025

Palestinians were living under occupation before the war....

February 27, 2025

China slams Trump’s return to the ‘law of...

March 7, 2025

Greenland’s opposition party wins closely-watched election dominated by...

March 12, 2025

El Salvador’s president offers Maduro US-deported Venezuelans for...

April 21, 2025

Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces to merge with Syrian...

March 11, 2025

    Join our mailing list to get access to special deals, promotions, and insider information. Your exclusive benefits await! Enjoy personalized recommendations, first dibs on sales, and members-only content that makes you feel like a true VIP. Sign up now and start saving!


    By opting in you agree to receive emails from us and our affiliates. Your information is secure and your privacy is protected.

    Recent

    • King Charles emphasizes Canada’s ‘self-determination’ as he opens parliament after Trump’s annexation threats

      May 28, 2025
    • Chaos erupts on first day of US-backed aid distribution in Gaza after weeks of hunger

      May 28, 2025
    • Germany’s leader has criticized Israel’s conduct in Gaza. Here’s why that’s a big deal

      May 28, 2025
    • Macron’s marital shove disappears from French airwaves

      May 28, 2025
    • Judge in Diego Maradona trial stands down following documentary scandal

      May 28, 2025
    • The Best Five Sectors, #20

      May 28, 2025
    • About us
    • Contacts
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Email Whitelisting

    Disclaimer: crazyflux.com, its managers, its employees, and assigns (collectively “The Company”) do not make any guarantee or warranty about what is advertised above. Information provided by this website is for research purposes only and should not be considered as personalized financial advice. The Company is not affiliated with, nor does it receive compensation from, any specific security. The Company is not registered or licensed by any governing body in any jurisdiction to give investing advice or provide investment recommendation. Any investments recommended here should be taken into consideration only after consulting with your investment advisor and after reviewing the prospectus or financial statements of the company.


    Copyright © 2025 crazyflux.com | All Rights Reserved