In late January, Ricardo Prada Vásquez, a Venezuelan immigrant working as a delivery driver in Detroit, mistakenly turned onto the Ambassador Bridge, leading to Canada. This error resulted in his detention by U.S. authorities when he attempted to return to the United States.
After being placed in detention, Mr. Prada was ordered deported. On March 15, he communicated with a friend in Chicago, indicating he was among detainees in Texas awaiting repatriation to Venezuela. That same day, the Trump administration transferred three planes of Venezuelan migrants from Texas to El Salvador, where they have since been confined in a maximum-security prison, cut off from outside contact.
However, Mr. Prada has not been accounted for; he is not included in the list of 238 individuals deported to El Salvador, nor does he appear in any official records. His friend Javier expressed concern, stating, "He has simply disappeared." Mr. Prada’s brother, Hugo, in Venezuela, echoed the uncertainty, saying, "We know nothing, nothing."
Mr. Prada's disappearance has raised alarms about the potential for undocumented deportations and missing immigrants. While U.S. authorities confirmed his removal from the country, they did not disclose his destination. Ben Levey, a staff attorney with the National Immigrant Justice Center, highlighted the tragic nature of Mr. Prada's case, questioning how many similar situations exist.
Experts have criticized the situation, noting that it reflects a troubling lack of due process in the immigration system amid pressures for mass deportations. Stephen Yale-Loehr, an immigration scholar, described Mr. Prada's case as shocking and indicative of a system where due process may not be upheld.
The deportations of individuals to the Terrorism Confinement Center in El Salvador have sparked legal disputes, with a federal judge deeming the process illegal due to the lack of due process. A temporary Supreme Court ruling has also halted further deportations of Venezuelans under the wartime law invoked by the Trump administration.
Despite efforts, Mr. Prada’s family has been unable to obtain information regarding his status, as his name does not appear in any official records. The New York Times has traced Mr. Prada’s legal history, confirming his arrest and deportation order, but he is no longer listed in the ICE detainee locator.
Mr. Prada, who migrated to the U.S. in late 2024 after fleeing Venezuela's crisis, had previously been living with his son in Colombia. After entering the U.S., he spent time in Chicago before relocating to Detroit, where he was detained following his bridge incident.
In his communications prior to his disappearance, Mr. Prada expressed concern about his imminent deportation. His family and friends believed he had been sent to various countries where Venezuelan immigrants have been deported recently, but they have received no confirmation of his whereabouts.
Efforts by the nonprofit Together and Free, along with legal advocates, have so far yielded no results in locating Mr. Prada. His family remains desperate for answers, fearing for his safety and well-being. "If he’s in prison, we want to know. We want to know if he is alive," said his mother, Maria Alejandra Vega.