Maikellys Espinoza was welcomed at Maiquetía Airport by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and “first combatant” Cilia Flores, who carries the girl in her arms in the photo. Photo: Ministry of Interior, Justice, and Peace.
Guacamaya, May 14, 2025. Maikellys Antonella Espinoza Bernal, a two-year-old girl who had been separated from her parents while they attempted to migrate to the United States, was returned to Venezuela this Wednesday along with 226 compatriots who were repatriated. The Venezuelan government has denounced that her case shows a clear violation of children’s rights and is calling for respect for the dignity of migrant families.
Maikellys landed in Venezuela this Wednesday after enduring a very difficult situation that touched the hearts of many in the country. This little girl was torn from her mother Yorely Bernal’s arms last April during an operation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The family had arrived in the North American country in May 2024 seeking a better future.
Maikellys’ case highlights a shocking reality in U.S. immigration policies. As denounced by the Venezuelan government, U.S. authorities not only deported Yorely on April 25 without her daughter—despite documents requesting that both return together—but also detained the father, Maiker Espinoza, under accusations of being linked to a criminal organization known as the Tren de Aragua. However, to date, no concrete evidence of these accusations has been presented, as neither the Trump administration nor the government of El Salvador (where he is detained) has made any proof public. Additionally, it is important to note that Espinoza has no criminal record in Venezuela, Peru, or the United States, according to official records.
Maikellys’ return was achieved amid an international campaign that brought visibility to what Caracas and several organizations consider institutional violence against migrants. This act, according to various groups, violated the Universal Declaration of the Rights of the Child and the UN Charter.
The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, alongside human rights organizations and social movements, brought the case before UNICEF and other international bodies in recent days to expose the inhumane practices of the U.S. immigration system.
Some media outlets aligned with the government claim that her release was part of an exchange for opposition leaders who left the Argentine embassy in Caracas after more than a year of asylum there. However, this has not been confirmed by major government-affiliated media. The U.S. Secretary of State spoke of a “rescue” without negotiation.
On the same repatriation flight, 226 others also returned, including seven children and 37 women, many of whom had faced similar situations. Maikellys’ story has reopened the debate on family separations at the U.S. southern border.
While Maikellys reunites with her mother in Caracas, her ordeal is not over, as her father remains detained in El Salvador. Human rights organizations are demanding greater transparency in his case and urging the U.S. to end what they consider traumatic and arbitrary immigration practices. The story of Maikellys and her family is a painful reminder of the struggle for the dignity of Venezuelan migrants, more than seven million of whom have already left their homes.
