Another Venezuelan, Jeferson Escalona, 19, was photographed playing soccer in the yard at the facility. The DHS also allege he is a ‘self-admitted’ member of the feared gang.
Escalona said he had no ties to Tren de Aragua or any gang. He was a police officer in Venezuela, he said.
When they detained him, US authorities took his phone and he suspects they saw photos of him making hand gestures that he said were
Common in Venezuela.Escalona said that he has asked to return voluntarily to Venezuela but was denied.
‘They’re making false accusations about me,’ he said. ‘I don’t belong to any gang. I fear for my life here. I want to go to Venezuela.’
After his arrest in January 2025 for evading arrest in a vehicle, he was sent to Guantanamo Bay, but he returned to the US and was sent to Bluebonnet in February.
