ICE deports Venezuelan father from Texas to West Africa: A situation "I don't wish on anybody"

Key Points:

• Carlos Tellez Sanchez, a 35-year-old Venezuelan man who lived in Texas for years, was deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to Liberia, a country he had never heard of until shortly before his deportation.
• Tellez Sanchez spent 15 hours in handcuffs during the flight and is now stranded in a remote area of Liberia, far from his wife and 5-month-old American son in the U.S.
• Despite an immigration judge granting him protection from deportation to Venezuela due to potential persecution, ICE deported him to a third country under agreements brokered by the Trump administration, which have sent detainees to various distant and sometimes dangerous nations.
• Tellez Sanchez had no criminal record beyond civil immigration violations and had been working in Dallas to support his family before his detention and deportation; his brother expressed confusion and frustration over the decision and lack of explanation.
• The Department of Homeland Security has not provided answers regarding why Liberia was chosen for his deportation, and Tellez Sanchez currently has no clear plan in Liberia.