US deported Venezuelans before quake: families vanish

Sun Sep 06 2026 11:59:31 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

When US deported people to Venezuela, an earthquake hit the same day, killing many. Families jostled to find their loved ones.

A 23‑year‑old Venezuelan who had built a life in Georgia was deported to Venezuela just days before twin earthquakes destroyed the coastal region. The blasts killed over 2,200, left 10,000 injured and pushed many families into a search for missing brothers and sisters. The story of Abelardo Rincón and others illustrates the cruel confluence of immigration policy and natural disaster. Their families frantically sought answers while ghastly scenes unfolded at their hometowns.

The US deported Venezuelan migrants to their homeland just as twin earthquakes shook the coast, leaving families stunned and many dead.

A 23‑year‑old who built a life in Georgia, married, waited on his unborn child’s birth, was caught up in the 2026 US immigration crackdown and flown back on Flight 164. He was still in custody when he could call his wife back in Atlanta.

Hours later the quake struck, collapsing buildings, killing over 2,200 people. The migrant who had his eye on a future in the US now vanished in the rubble, and dozens more were missing.

Families who had already endured years of detention and uncertainty now faced a double tragedy: a return to a homeland that had turned violent in seconds.

The Venezuelan government and rescue teams are struggling to identify survivors, while the US has declared the flight safe, taking no further responsibility for deportees inside the country.