Imagine being forced to leave everything behind, your home, your family, your dreams, because US sanctions have devastated your country’s economy, making day-to-day living increasingly unbearable. You endure a treacherous journey, risking everything for a chance at stability and to help your family back home, only to be met with handcuffs and an indefinite sentence in one of the world’s most infamous prisons.

This is the fate of many migrants, including Venezuelans, fleeing an economic war waged by US policies. One of President Trump’s first actions was to sign an executive order expanding the Migrant Operations Center at Guantanamo Bay to detain up to 30,000 migrants, labeling them as “criminal illegal aliens.” Following mounting legal challenges and international scrutiny, the US government has now deported 177 Venezuelan migrants who were detained at the naval base.

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