Latest news with #Antonella
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Times
The immigrant familes fleeing Trump's US: ‘I had to pack up my little things and leave. They have painted us as criminals'
For Yessica Rojas, the choice was clear. After less than two years in Missouri , she and her two children had to leave. The reason, she said, were stories about Venezuelan mothers like her that had gone viral on social media. Rojas heard they had been deported to Venezuela while the US authorities held on to their children. 'It just isn't worth it now,' said Rojas (29), explaining her decision to leave the United States. The stories are not just rumours: This year, a Venezuelan two-year-old called Antonella by her family remained in foster care while her mother was sent back to Venezuela and her father to a prison in El Salvador . (Antonella has since been returned to her family .) READ MORE Rojas left Branson, Missouri, the same week. Yessica Rojas with her children Yessiel, aged three, and Kenyerly in Puerto Obaldía, Panama. Photograph: Federico Rios Escobar/New York Times Episodes like this one have sent shock waves through immigrant communities, accomplishing what the Trump administration's warnings – and even the promise of $1,000 for those willing to 'self-deport' – alone could not do: they have persuaded at least some migrant parents to leave the United States. It is not clear how many people have abandoned their US lives since president Donald Trump began his second term. A recent flight carried about 65 people who opted to leave for Colombia and Honduras, according to the Trump administration, and individual stories of immigrants leaving voluntarily have emerged across the country. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the department of homeland security, said in a statement last week: 'It's an easy choice: leave voluntarily and receive a $1,000 check or stay and wait till you are fined $1,000, arrested and deported without the possibility to return.' She added: 'We encourage all parents, who are here illegally, to take control of their departure through the CBP Home app.' Rojas left her home country of Venezuela two years ago and first spent a spell living in Colombia, she said. She packed up her son and daughter in the summer of 2023 and made her way to Missouri, after the three crossed the US-Mexico border and turned themselves over to authorities to request asylum. They ended up in Branson because a friend had settled there. Acclimatising to the small Ozarks city was not easy, Rojas said. But gradually she found her way, discovering second-hand stores for winter clothes and finding the two jobs that allowed her to buy ice cream for her daughter, she said. Then came 2025, and, with it, Trump's new immigration policies, which to her seemed to take particular aim at Venezuelans. The story of Antonella went viral on TikTok and in WhatsApp groups. Rojas said the threat of losing her children – Kenyerly (eight) and Yessiel (three) – ate at her, and she immediately began to fear for them. She asked a lawyer about seeking help from the US government to leave the country, which officials have described as 'the safest option for illegal aliens'. But Rojas said she was ultimately too scared to have any contact with the authorities. Instead, she left quietly, giving short notice at her restaurant and housekeeping jobs, not saying too much to her children's teachers at school. She sold the used grey Chevrolet that she had scrimped and saved to buy for $800 so she would not have to walk to work any more. 'I had to pack up my little things and leave again,' she said. The family set out in late April. A fellow passenger takes a photo of Yessica Rojas and her children as they travel between Panama and Colombia by boat. Photograph: Federico Rios Escobar/New York Times Over the next few weeks, Rojas and her children took buses to Texas and to the US border, where two years before they spent five days in a detention centre, sleeping under crinkly aluminium blankets and eating frozen burritos that made Yessiel, then still a baby, sick. In Texas, 'the bus was full of Venezuelans,' Rojas said. 'They said they'd rather leave than go through something bad there,' she said, adding of US officials: 'They have painted us as criminals.' In Mexico, the family curled up on more long bus rides – from Monterrey to Mexico City to Tuxtla, near the country's southern border, where Rojas's brother and his family joined her. Then they travelled farther south, finally boarding a boat in Panama for an eight-hour trip along the Caribbean Coast to the edge of the fearsome jungle they had once trekked through on their way north: the Darién Gap . Along the way, they met other families like theirs: with single mothers who had left the United States, terrified of being separated from their children. These mothers, too, were Venezuelan; many had fled their crisis-torn country years before and given birth to sons and daughters in other countries. This added to their fear that if they were to be deported from the United States, their children would be held by the immigration authorities or sent elsewhere. In the Panamanian port town of Puerto Obaldía, on the edge of the Darién Gap, Rojas took out her phone this month and found a photo: It was of her, Kenyerly and Yessiel as they prepared to cross the Darién in July 2023. [ Worn out, ripped off and determined: Migrants hope they are only passing through Panama Opens in new window ] 'Look how little they were,' she said. Now, she tried to prepare them for what might lie ahead. Not a week in the jungle, crossing swift-moving rivers, hiking until nightfall in the mud. Not a scramble across the US border to reach a new country with an unfamiliar language. But bare shelves, a life without the ice cream and the other small luxuries she had finally been able to afford. Rojas admitted she herself wasn't ready for what she might find in Venezuela – the unrest she had fled had turned into a full-scale humanitarian crisis, with sky-high prices alongside regular shortages of basic goods and medicines. [ Maduro sweeps Venezuelan regional vote marked by low turnout Opens in new window ] 'It's going to be a drastic change,' she said. 'We really don't know how it's going to be.' An officer with Panama's National Border Service at a checkpoint for migrant boats on the island of El Porvenir, in the San Blas archipelago of Panama. Photograph: Federico Rios Escobar/New York Times Still, she tried to get the children excited, reminding them how happy their grandparents would be to see them. In Puerto Obaldía, her son ran circles around her, playing with other boys who had just got off the boat in the tiny jungle village. 'Let's go!' he shouted over and over again, in English. 'Let's go!' Last week, Rojas finally arrived in Venezuela. In a phone call, she said she was grateful to have made it safely back to the city of Mérida, even if food prices were high and the journey home had cost her everything she had saved: more than $2,000. She feared she had little to show for all her struggles. But she had her son and her daughter. – This article originally appeared in The New York Times
Daily Mirror
27-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mirror
Bride-to-be dies after lipo surgery she hoped would 'make her feel confident'
Antonella Cortéz Chistama wanted to have liposculpture to feel more confident before her wedding but she sadly died after undergoing the procedure at a clinic in Peru A lawyer and bride-to-be has tragically died after undergoing lipo surgery which she hoped would make her feel more confident. Antonella Cortéz Chistama, who was planning to get married next year, wanted to feel at her best when she walked down the aisle. The mum-of-two, 34, felt optimistic about her choice to have liposculpture - a procedure involving moving fat to different areas of the body. However, on May 20 - the day of the operation - Antonella's mother was contacted to be told that her daughter was in the intensive care unit. She was later told Antonella had suffered a cardiac arrest. Antonella's sister, Fiorella Cortéz, rushed to the hospital but there was nothing doctors could do. The incident is being investigated by the police and the clinic, near Lima in Peru, has temporarily closed after an inspection by cops allegedly found "irregularities". Antonella's heartbroken family is demanding answers. Liposculpture is a surgical cosmetic procedure that removes fat from small parts of your body to create muscle tone and definition, explains Cleveland Clinic. It can help reduce or reshape areas of your body that diet and exercise haven't improved such as arms, belly, breasts and chin. The procedure takes about two to four hours, depending on how many areas you need treated. Plastic surgeons use a slender suction tube called a cannula and during liposculpture they inject a solution into the fat, make a small incision into the patient's skin before inserting the tube to suction out the fat. While seeing a plastic surgeon who has experience performing liposculpture greatly reduces risk, there are still possible complications including bleeding, blood clots, scarring, infection and skin burns. Two years ago, a mum-of-two died after undergoing a liposuction surgery in a secret clinic inside an apartment block. Rosalba Rodríguez reportedly underwent the operation inside an apartment block registered as a police tax office, with local media claiming the surgeon's husband was a police officer. Following her death in the Colombian capital of Bogotá on May 18, 2023, the property was cleared and vacated by the suspects accused of carrying out the procedure. The victim's cousin Milena Camargo told local media: "They did not have the appropriate licences and permits to perform the procedure." According to Milena, the victim's best friend convinced her to undergo the lipo operation there. The friend reportedly told her that the operation would be safe and much cheaper than using a registered beauty clinic. Milena said: "She was deceived and manipulated due to her innocence and poor education level. She was unable to discern the situation after her best friend introduced her to the surgeon - named only as Katia who performed liposuction on my cousin."
Time of India
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
IN PICS: Jose Altuve's wife Nina celebrates daughter's 5th birthday with sweet photo dump
Jose Altuve's wife Nina celebrates daughter's 5th birthday with sweet photo dump (Image Source: Getty) Nina Altuve and Houston Astros Star Jose Altuve celebrated a special family moment when their younger daughter Antonella recently turned five. Nina celebrated on the big day with a moving photo series she shared to Instagram on Friday, showing fans a sneak peek into the family's intimate celebration. Two pictures included Antonella's cutest moments, one in which she poses holding Bruni, the family pup, and another on display with a piece of holiday decor that read "Antonella turns 5," capturing the happiness of the day. Operation Sindoor India-Pakistan Tensions Live Updates: India hits back after Pakistan violates ceasefire; Nagrota sentry hurt in brief gunfire Operation Sindoor Live Updates: Drones shot down at multiple places in J&K as Pakistan violates bilateral understanding Pak drones enter Indian airspace, explosions heard just hours after truce deal A glimpse into the celebration of Jose Altuve's daughter's 5th birthday Altuve's birthday party took place in the Houston home of the Altuve family, hosting her nearest and dearest friends and relatives who came to celebrate Antonella's big day. The bash was decorated with colorful details like balloons and a banner that read 'Antonella turns 5.' One sweet photo in particular saw Antonella's little leg poking out from under her dress - capturing her playful nature. Another photo showed a touching moment between Antonella and Bruni, and described the close relationship between the little girl and her furry friend. The Altuve family's cherished moments José and Nina Altuve are childhood sweethearts from Venezuela who are the proud parents of two daughters, Melanie Andrea and Antonella. The family regularly gives fans a peek into their lives via social media, sharing snaps detailing their travel, celebrations, as well as some of life's more mundane moments. Nina, a bioanalyst, and their family adventures are documented in their feed, with captions reminding others to make the most of the time spent together. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Want Lower Bills Without Changing a Thing? elecTrick - Save upto 80% on Power Bill Learn More Undo The bond and shared experiences in the family are sometimes portrayed by their daughters, who are always caught wearing matching outfits! Beyond their personal life, the Altuve family are known for their philanthropic efforts where they never shy away to donate to the needy. They have been involved in various charitable initiatives, including donating meals to children in need and organizing toy drives for underprivileged kids, which was recently seen in Venezuela. Their commitment to giving back to the community underscores the values they instill in their family. As Jose Altuve's daughter Antonella celebrates her 5th birthday, the entire family continues to inspire fans with their dedication to family, community, and the simple joys of life. Also Read: Jose Altuve's wife Nina shows off fitness goals in latest gym picture
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump Accused of ‘Abduction' After Parents of Girl, 2, Deported to Venezuela Without Her
The Trump administration has been accused by Venezuela of the 'abduction' of a 2-year-old girl after her migrant parents were deported from the U.S. without her. Sold on the American dream, Venezuelan parents Yorely Bernal, 20, and Maiker Espinoza, 25, who met while living in Peru, came to the United States with their daughter in May 2024 while Joe Biden was still in office. But their life changed after President Donald Trump was sworn in for a second term on Jan. 20. The president has introduced hardline immigration policies, and has become obsessed with rooting out the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which was founded in 2014 in the Tocorón prison in the state of Aragua. The Trump administration has designated the gang a 'foreign terrorist organization'. The Trump administration has accused the couple, without evidence, of being part of this gang, The New York Times reported Wednesday. The couple's relatives told The Times they were detained by authorities over their 'suspicious' tattoos, and their toddler, Maikelys Antonella Espinoza Bernal—known as Antonella—was sent into foster care. Acuso al gobierno estadounidence por el secuestro de mi nieta maikelys Posted by Raida Inciarte on Friday 25 April 2025 Antonella's mother Yorely Bernal has the birth years of her own parents inked on her neck, along with a lightning bolt, a small flame and a serpent, her mother told the publication. According to a statement given to authorities, Espinoza's tattoos include the cartoon characters Yosemite Sam and Marvin the Martian, as well as a cross, a crown and a compass with a plane. According to The Times, internal government documents indicate that the Trump administration is citing tattoos to label people as members of the gang. In a statement to the newspaper, the Department of Homeland Security accused Espinoza of being a 'lieutenant' of the Venezuelan gang, claiming he oversaw criminal operations and even a 'torture house.' The DHS alleged the girl's mother recruited 'young women for drug smuggling and prostitution.' 'President Trump and Secretary [Kristi] Noem take their responsibility to protect children seriously,' the DHS said. 'We will not allow this child to be abused and continue to be exposed to criminal activity that endangers her safety.' Espinoza was deported to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador on March 30. Nearly one month later, on April 25, Yorely Bernal was deported to Caracas, Venezuela—alone. Bernal's mother, Raida Inciarte, told The Times that during a video call in late April, her daughter said she had been assured by U.S. officials that Antonella would be on the flight with her. She even allegedly showed her an official immigration document with the toddler's name on it, which she claimed showed the 2-year-old would be leaving the U.S. with her. Toddler Antonella remains in foster care in the U.S., and the Trump administration has not indicated if, or when, she will be reunited with her family, The Times said. The Daily Beast has contacted the DHS for comment. On Monday, Venezuela's president Nicolás Maduro lashed out at the Trump administration. 'This is a crime whichever way you see it, taking a 2-year-old girl away from a migrant mother just because she is a migrant and a Venezuelan,' he said during his weekly television program. Maduro added: 'And accusing her without evidence of being a member of a criminal gang, and using it as an excuse to steal her child, is a crime under any international law.' Venezuela's foreign ministry on Monday also denounced 'the abduction by U.S. authorities of the young Venezuelan Maikelys Antonella Espinoza Bernal, aged 2.'
