President Maduro managed to rescue the two-year-old girl who was being held in a shelter without the protection of her parents.

On Wednesday, Communications Minister Freddy Ñañez confirmed that Maikelys Espinoza Bernal returned to her homeland on a flight with 226 migrants who were repatriated from the U.S. to Venezuela.

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This two-year-old girl became the center of an international controversy after being separated from her family by U.S, immigration authorities.

Her parents, Yorely Bernal and Maiker Espinoza, who entered the U.S. in May 2024 seeking asylum, were deported separately. Accused of belonging to the Aragua Train gang, the little girl’s father was sent to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador, while Maikely’s mother was deported on a flight out of the U.S.

U.S. authorities arbitrarily detained these Venezuelan migrants and used ethnic profiling, as the accusations against them were based on their tattoos, which included cartoon characters and personal symbols, rather than any concrete evidence of criminal activity, as the Daily Beast recalled.

Once the deportation process began, Maikelys was placed in a shelter where she remained for weeks without contact with her loved ones. These abuses sparked outrage both inside and outside the U.S.

Over the past few weeks, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has condemned the abuses against the Espinoza Bernal family as a violation of international law, accusing the United States government of kidnapping the two-year-old girl.

“Victory for justice! Maikelys Espinoza has returned to Venezuela, thanks to the tireless efforts of President Nicolas Maduro. A triumph for the Venezuelan people!,” stressed community communicator Ronald Tovar, referring to the new success achieved through the Return to the Homeland Plan.

teleSUR/ JF

Sources: teleSUR – The Daily Beast – Cadena 3

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