They were arrested during routine ICE check-ins. Then they disappeared.
SAN ANTONIO — Henrry Albornoz Quintero's family had been tracking his whereabouts through an online detainee locator ever since he was arrested and put in deportation proceedings after a routine check-in with immigration officials in late January.
But on Friday — less than a week before the expected birth of his son — the Venezuelan man disappeared from the database.
'Your search has returned zero (0) matching records,' the government website states.
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2 hours ago
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Rally outside CBP office in Detroit condemns Trump's mass deportations
A small but vocal group of demonstrators rallied Wednesday, June 11, outside the U.S. Customs and Border Protection office on Michigan Avenue in Detroit to oppose ongoing Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and deportations, as large-scale protests unfold in Los Angeles. Organized by BAMN — the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration and Immigrant Rights and Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary — the rally aimed to spotlight what activists describe as a coordinated assault on immigrant communities. "We're here to stand in solidarity with our fellow organizers and everybody in LA who's standing up. That's what we need to do in every city across the country to stop (President Donald) Trump's ethnic cleansing plan," said Nicole Conaway of Detroit, a BAMN organizer for the past 15 years. Earlier in the day, protesters also demonstrated in front of the Patrick V. McNamara Federal Building in downtown Detroit, down the block from where the evening protest was held. According to activists, five or six individuals — most of them believed to be Venezuelan — were detained after their immigration cases were dismissed in court, a practice that immigrant advocates say is becoming increasingly common. "That's happening more and more. Regardless of the outcome, people have been snatched up straight out of court — and we've known people that this has happened to," said Kate Stenvig, another BAMN organizer and Detroit resident. A spokesman for ICE did not comment specifically on the alleged arrests in Detroit, but said that ICE officers are permitted 'to conduct civil immigration enforcement actions in or near courthouses when they have credible information that leads them to believe the targeted alien(s) is or will be present at a specific location, and where such action is not precluded by laws imposed by the jurisdiction in which the enforcement action will take place.' The local protests come amid escalating tensions in Los Angeles, where Trump has deployed hundreds of National Guard troops to respond to public demonstrations against his administration's immigration crackdowns. State and city leaders have said the move has only heightened unrest. 'Trump is not just deporting criminals. He is just deporting anyone who's Black and Brown, pretty much,' Conaway said. 'It's a racist, white supremacist, fascist regime, and the way to stop it is mass collective organizing and mass action like we're seeing in LA right now.' More: ICE denies Detroit high school student's request to stay in U.S. until graduation Though Wednesday's rally in Detroit drew approximately 20 participants, it also drew support from passersby. Drivers honked their horns, and a group riding on The Michigan Pedaler cheered in solidarity. Protesters held signs reading, 'Defend your neighbors against ICE' and 'Immigrants make America Great,' while chanting, 'LA has shown the way, immigrants are here to stay.' In addition to street activism, BAMN also operates a legal wing that represents families facing deportation. Conaway said she's seen firsthand how families have been torn apart at the office they were protesting outside of. More: More foreign students in Michigan targeted for deportation, including 22 at U-M 'One of our legal clients went in for a check-in right here, to this building (on Michigan Avenue), and never came out. They were detained there,' she said. Conaway added that she believes what's at stake goes beyond immigration policy. 'If Trump can win this battle, then we're further down the road to fascism and him being a dictator and not leaving the White House without force,' she said. More: Detroit criminal deportation cases skyrocket in Trump's first 100 days A spokesman for ICE did not comment specifically on the alleged arrests in Detroit, but said that ICE officers are permitted 'to conduct civil immigration enforcement actions in or near courthouses when they have credible information that leads them to believe the targeted alien(s) is or will be present at a specific location, and where such action is not precluded by laws imposed by the jurisdiction in which the enforcement action will take place.' Several protests against ICE and Trump's immigration policies are planned throughout the country for Saturday, June 14 — the president's birthday. Organizers said BAMN, along with other activist groups, will lead a march beginning at 1 p.m. at Clark Park in Detroit. Free Press reporter Niraj Warikoo contributed to this report. Nour Rahal is a trending and breaking news reporter. Email her: nrahal@ Follow her on Twitter @nrahal1. This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit activists protest ICE, show solidarity with LA demonstrations
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Fact Check: Breaking down Texas house raid where ICE detained more than 40 people, including minors
Claim: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided a Texas house in April 2025, taking more than 40 people into custody. Rating: Context: Attendees said that a group of relatives and friends were staying at the house to celebrate a pair of birthdays, and records obtained by The Texas Tribune indicate nine of those detained were minors. As protesters demonstrated across Los Angeles in response to raids by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in June 2025, a rumor circulated online about an earlier raid in which Texas authorities, along with the FBI and ICE, allegedly detained several minors. Users across multiple platforms (archived, archived, archived) claimed of the more than 40 people taken into custody during an ICE raid on a Texas house in early April 2025, nine were posts pointed to an article (archived) in The New Republic that claimed ICE "invaded [a] child's birthday party." (The New Republic) The raid did, in fact, take place. According to an April 2, 2025, news release (archived) from the Texas Department of Public Safety, "more than 40 individuals, including minors, were taken into custody at or near the residence, and narcotics were seized." It's unclear how many arrests took place at the location in question and how many happened "near the residence," as the news release worded it. The release said that after more than a year of investigation, Texas authorities raided the house, alleging it was a suspected gathering of members from the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. In the two-plus months since the raid, as of this writing, authorities have not publicly released any evidence supporting their claims. We reached out to the Texas DPS seeking comment and further details, and will update this story if we receive a response. The full release was as follows: AUSTIN — For more than a year, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the San Antonio Police Department (SAPD), the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and several other federal, state and local partners, have been investigating members and associates believed to be part of the Venezuelan transnational gang, Tren de Aragua (TdA). In recent days, the FBI developed intelligence regarding a possible gathering of suspected TdA members or TdA associates in Hays Co. Early Tuesday morning [April 1, 2025], the Hays Co. Sheriff's Office and DPS, working with the FBI, ICE, Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement Removal Operations, established sufficient cause to obtain a search warrant for a residence in Hays Co., which was executed by DPS' Special Response Team. As a result of this operation, more than 40 individuals, including minors, were taken into custody at or near the residence, and narcotics were seized. State and federal prosecutors will evaluate potential charges based on evidence obtained during the search warrant and subsequent investigation. This case is currently under investigation. More details will be released as they become available. (Texas DPS) The Texas Tribune published the search warrant used for the raid, which details the Austin property where the raid took place. Photos of the address match the description in the search warrant, which described the house as "a white rock and concrete stucco siding residence with dark in color trim and a dark in color shingle roof. There is a stairway leading up to the front door. The location is a two story residence with a side building/living area with a large in ground pool in the back yard." An image of the property from real estate site shows the address of the property matches the physical description in the search warrant. ( According to the Tribune story (archived), published on June 4, 2025, several people present at the raid said in interviews that relatives and friends had rented the house to celebrate a pair of birthdays when authorities conducted the raid at approximately 5 a.m. April 1. The story read: Suddenly, at about 5 a.m. the next morning, the group heard explosions from flashbangs, followed by shouts from law enforcement yelling commands to get out of the house, according to interviews with two attendees. "We all started shouting that there were babies — 'Babies, there's babies,'" recounted a 30-year-old Venezuelan man, who said he was at the house to celebrate the birthdays of his son, who turned 5, and his best friend, who turned 28. Law enforcement did take minors into custody, although authorities did not publicly confirm how many of the "more than 40" people detained were children. The Tribune obtained public information documents and identified 35 of people taken into custody, reporting that nine of them were minors. Snopes has not independently reviewed this documentation. The Tribune's report claimed that "ICE has refused to release the names of who was detained and where they are currently," and that "all 35 were arrested on suspicion of illegally entering the country, a federal violation, and the government intends to deport them, DPS reports show." Accessed 11 June 2025. Ibrahim, Nur. 'What We Know about Trump Deploying National Guard for LA Protests'. Snopes, 10 June 2025, Joint TdA Operation Results in Over 40 Arrests in Hays Co. | Department of Public Safety. Accessed 11 June 2025. 'ICE Invaded Child's Birthday Party Claiming It Was a Gang Meeting'. The New Republic. The New Republic, Accessed 11 June 2025. Search Warrent. The State of Texas, 4 Apr. 2025, Serrano, By Alejandro. 'Months after Detaining 47 People Accused of Being Tren de Aragua in Austin, Authorities Offer No Evidence of Gang Ties'. The Texas Tribune, 4 June 2025, 10630 Cedar Paw Ln, Austin, TX 78737 | MLS #7470863 | Compass. Accessed 11 June 2025.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
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New York's Ritchie Torres donates to Andry Hernández Romero fund demanding freedom for gay asylum-seeker
Gay Afro-Latino U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres isn't ambiguous about his support for an innocent gay man sent to a modern-day gulag in El Salvador. Keep up with the latest in + news and politics. In a stark video released Wednesday, the New York Democrat condemned the Trump administration for deporting Andry José Hernández Romero — a 31-year-old gay asylum-seeker from Venezuela — to El Salvador's notorious CECOT mega-prison. 'These aren't gang signs,' Torres said, referring to the tattooed crowns on Hernández Romero's arms that immigration authorities used to justify the deportation. 'These are symbols of love, faith, and family.' Related: Hundreds rallying at Supreme Court demand Trump return disappeared gay asylum-seeker Andry Hernández Romero Torres explained that Hernández Romero comes from Capacho Nuevo, a Venezuelan village where Día de los Reyes, or Three Kings Day, is a treasured tradition. As a child, Hernández Romero designed costumes and performed in pageants, discovering a calling in creative work. 'Those crowns are a tribute to that festival and his parents,' Torres said. 'They're marked with the words 'Mom' and 'Dad.'' He said ICE's interpretation of the tattoos was both 'false and bigoted,' a projection of criminality onto cultural expression. Related: Gay Venezuelan asylum-seeker 'disappeared' to Salvadoran mega-prison under Trump order, Maddow reveals Hernández Romero's story is not merely a tale of bureaucratic overreach. It is, according to Torres and a growing coalition in Congress, the embodiment of a deeper erosion: of due process, of humane immigration policy, and of the basic protections once presumed to be guaranteed under the Constitution. 'What happened to Andry could happen to anyone,' Torres said in an interview with The Advocate. 'an attack on the due process rights of anyone is an attack on the rights of all of us.' Torres added, 'Without due process, what is to stop the Trump administration from labeling anyone a gang member and abducting them in the dead of night?' Related: Coalition of 52 Democrats push for proof of life for deported gay asylum-seeker Andry Hernández Romero He continued: 'Of all the abuses of the Trump presidency, none has been more egregious than his assaults on due process — on habeas corpus, which predates the American Republic itself.' The administration has offered no evidence that Hernández Romero was ever involved in criminal activity. He entered the United States legally through the CBP One app, passed a credible fear interview, and was awaiting his asylum hearing when Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers detained and removed him in March. His attorney was never notified. No judge issued a deportation order. He was last seen in chains, his head forcibly and roughly shaved, sobbing and shouting, 'I'm gay! I'm a stylist!' Since then, there has been no proof of life. Related: Kristi Noem won't say if gay asylum-seeker deported to El Salvador's 'hellhole' prison is still alive On Monday, Torres joined Rep. Robert Garcia, a fellow gay congressman from California, and 50 other Democratic lawmakers in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanding a welfare check, legal access, and Hernández Romero's immediate release. 'The United States government, alone, is responsible for Mr. Hernández Romero's imprisonment,' the letter stated. 'It's been over 80 days since we've had any confirmation that he's alive,' Garcia told The Advocate. 'His story has particularly galvanized the LGBTQ+ community.' The administration deported Hernández Romero under a 2025 executive order invoking the Alien Enemies Act, a centuries-old law last used to imprison Japanese Americans during World War II. Human rights groups say the CECOT prison he was sent to is functionally a black site — cut off from outside contact and designed to break prisoners. On Friday, about 300 people rallied on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court, demanding Hernández Romero's return and condemning the policy that led to his disappearance. 'He would have loved to be here at WorldPride with all of us,' Lindsay Toczylowski, executive director of the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, which represents Hernández Romero', told the crowd. 'Instead, he is suffering in a prison that officials have bragged people only leave in a coffin.' Related: Gay asylum-seeker's lawyer worries for the makeup artist's safety in Salvadoran 'hellhole' prison At the rally, gay Crooked Media cofounder Jon Lovett told supporters, 'They can bring Andry back any time they fucking want.' Human Rights Campaign senior vice president Jonathan Lovitz declared, 'Our Constitution does not say due process only for citizens. It says that all people — all people — deserve justice.' Writer and podcaster at The Bulwark Tim Miller, who is gay, added, 'We did this to Andry — not some crooked cop or some foreign government. We did it.' Gay California U.S. Rep. Mark Takano invoked his own family's internment during World War II to denounce the deportation. 'Let's be crystal clear,' he said. 'We must repeal the Alien Enemies Act. None of us gets to sit this out.' Later that evening, at a live show taping and fundraiser hosted by Crooked Media and The Bulwark at the Lincoln Theatre, Garcia described the stakes in personal terms. 'Regardless of your opinion on immigration, this is about due process. This is about the Constitution of the United States,' he said. He recounted a face-to-face exchange with U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador William Duncan, who told him that Hernández Romero's case was 'the first I've heard of this,' despite weeks of public advocacy. 'That day, he promised to do an inquiry,' Garcia said. 'We never got a wellness check.' Longwell, a former Republican strategist, pressed the moral argument of another wrongly deported person, Maryland father Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who the administration returned to the U.S. to face what some call dubious criminal charges. 'I don't care if [Kilmar] Abrego Garcia is a bad guy. He still deserves due process,' she said. 'How do Republican college kids justify disappearing people to foreign countries without a trial?' Related: Jon Lovett and Tim Miller team up to 'raise hell' over gay asylum-seeker vanished to El Salvador by Trump Garcia responded sharply. 'They can't,' he said. 'The Constitution means nothing to them anymore. Most of them were born into this incredible honor and privilege of being in the United States — and they forget where their parents or grandparents came from.' The California congressman said immigrants like Hernández Romero — and like himself — often have a deeper connection to American values. 'I fought for the thing most folks were born with,' Garcia said. 'I believe in the Constitution. And it affords all persons the right to due process, not just citizens.' Torres, who could not attend the event in person, donated $1,000 in campaign funds to support legal efforts to free Hernández Romero, a spokesperson confirmed. 'It's now Pride Month when we celebrate the right to live freely and love openly,' Torres said in the video. 'The very reason Andry came to America. Instead of celebrating Pride like the rest of us, Andry is suffering as we speak in a torture chamber. We cannot remain silent.' Torres was also among the 75 House Democrats who joined Republicans on Monday in passing a resolution that expressed 'gratitude' to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The vote came amid widespread protests in Los Angeles after ICE raids swept up more than 50 people, including some legally present in the United States. As tensions escalated, President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard, and on Tuesday, the U.S. Marine Corps over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, and local officials, who warned of 'an unprecedented power grab.' The resolution also condemned antisemitism in the wake of a recent attack by an Egyptian man who threw fire bombs at members of the Jewish community in Colorado. Editor's note: This article was updated to include additional reporting.
