Weeks after disappearance, DHS confirms Venezuelan man was deported to El Salvador
But for his family, the news brings little peace.
Neiyerver Adrian Leon Rengel faced the same fate as hundreds of other Venezuelans men who have been deported to El Salvador based solely on tattoos the U.S. government claims indicate affiliation with the Tren de Aragua gang, even though experts say that, unlike Central American gangs, TdA does not typically use tattoos to identify its members.
READ MORE: 'Crime of tattooing': Why experts say body ink is no way to ID Venezuelan gang members
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed to the Miami Herald on Wednesday night that Leon Rengel had been deported to El Salvador. The confirmation came after repeated inquiries to Immigration and Customs Enforcement dating back to April 10.
For more than 40 days, Leon Rengel's family searched for him. His girlfriend, Alejandra Gutierrez — the last person to see him — told the Miami Herald that agents arrested him without a warrant in the parking garage of their apartment building in Irving, Texas.
'They asked him to lift his shirt to show his tattoos, and when they saw them, they claimed he was affiliated with the Tren de Aragua,' Gutierrez said. 'They took his documents — and took him away.'
Among his documents was the receipt of his application for Temporary Protected Status, for which he applied in December 2024, after living in the U.S. for more than 18 months. His application is still pending, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, even after Homeland Security confirmed he was deported.
When asked what charges were brought against Leon Rengel and why he was deported despite having a pending TPS application, DHS responded with a general statement that didn't address the specific details of his case.
Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin said in an emailed statement that Leon Rengel 'entered our country illegally in 2023 from Venezuela and is an associate of Tren de Aragua,' but did not provide any documentation to support the claim. Records show, however, that Leon Rengel was admitted to the United States in June 2023 through a scheduled appointment with immigration authorities — a process made possible by the Biden-era app called CBP One, which was created to manage the flow of migrants entering from Mexico.
The Trump administration announced in early April that migrants who were temporarily allowed to live in the U.S. using the app are now being instructed to leave the country 'immediately,' according to officials. Since January 2023, approximately 936,500 people have entered the country through this process.
'Tren de Aragua is a vicious gang that rapes, maims and murders for sport. President Trump and Secretary Noem will not allow foreign terrorist enemies to operate in our country and endanger Americans,' McLaughlin's email said. 'They will always put the safety of the American people first.'
Leon Rengel had no violent history and no serious criminal record. In November 2024, he was a passenger in a car that was pulled over in Irving. He was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia, a non-jailable misdemeanor under local law. He pleaded guilty to possession of marijuana and agreed to pay a $492 fine, according to Irving city records, with no jail time or probation.
On the very day Leon Rengel turned 27, March 13, his life was turned upside down. That's the day he was flown to a maximum security prison in El Salvador that has been the target of complaints of human-rights violations. Because his name has appeared no list of those sent to the Central American country, his family had no idea of his whereabouts until well after a month later.
Born in 1998, the year Hugo Chávez was first elected, Leon Rengel belongs to a lost generation that grew up in the shadow of Venezuela's collapse. They are living proof of a broken system that forced millions to flee in search of opportunities denied at home.
In his search for opportunity, Leon Rengel came to the United States to make a living as a barber, after spending six years in Colombia—where, according to national police, he had no criminal record. But instead of finding the American Dream, he ultimately landed in a mega-prison in a foreign country, branded an alleged gang member — a label his family vehemently denies.
'The news felt like a bucket of cold water. My brother is not a criminal or a gang member,' Nedizon Leon Rengel, one of his brothers, said to the Miami Herald. He added that the hardest part will be breaking the news to their mother, whose health is fragile.
The deportations of the hundreds of Venezuelans to El Salvador followed the Trump administration's invocation of the Alien Enemies Act, a 227-year-old wartime law used last month to justify targeting Venezuelan migrants by claiming the gang is 'invading' the U.S..
READ MORE: Trump sent these Venezuelans to El Salvador mega prison. Their families deny gang ties.
The U.S. Supreme Court has temporarily blocked the deportation of more Venezuelans to a third country under a wartime-era law. However, court records show that the government continued to deport both Venezuelan and Salvadoran nationals under the same provision as recently as March 31. The identities of some of those individuals remain unknown—just as they were for Leon Rengel's family, who only discovered his whereabouts after media inquiries a response from the Department of Homeland Security.
Now, the family is seeking legal counsel in an effort to bring Leon Rengel back home. In a GoFundMe campaign, created by League of United Latin American Citizens, a non profit organization, to raise funds for legal expenses, they wrote:
'ICE wrongfully deported Neiyerver Adrián Leon Rengel.... We are raising funds to cover legal fees, challenge this injustice, and reunite him with his loved ones. This is about more than one man — it's about justice, human rights, and standing up for all those who should never be 'disappeared' without due process.
'We refuse to let him remain lost in a prison cell far from home. His family is fighting every day to locate him, secure his safety, and win his freedom.' the GoFundMe campaign said. 'We are assembling a legal team and working to have the U.S. and El Salvador return him to his family.'
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