Detroit Uber Eats Driver Sent to El Salvador After Making a Wrong Turn While Delivering McDonald's

A delivery driver, who is also a Venezuelan immigrant, has disappeared after taking a wrong turn while delivering McDonald's in Detroit.

Ricardo Prada Vásquez, 32, accidentally crossed the Canadian border while attempting to deliver food with Uber Eats in January, as reported by the Detroit Free Press. He was reportedly detained by U.S. authorities when attempting to re-enter the U.S.

Vásquez reportedly told a friend that he had been moved to detention in Texas and that he was expecting to be deported to Venezuela on March 15. After the Trump administration flew three planes full of detainees from the Texas facility to a high security prison in El Salvador, Vásquez seemingly disappeared. His family and friends have not heard from him and were unsure of his whereabouts.

"What we're seeing is one wrong turn at the Detroit bridge — the Ambassador Bridge — can result in your loved one disappearing," Christine Sauve, the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center's communications coordinator told the Free Press. "And that shouldn't be the case."

"ICE appears to have disappeared Ricardo Prada Vásquez. They admit he was deported, but won't say where," Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, wrote to X. "All signs suggest he was sent to El Salvador, but his name does not appear on the list of Venezuelans deported there and he wasn't spotted in video."

"There is something terrifying about this. The only thing ICE will say is that the man was deported. But for all intents and purposes, it's like he's fallen off the face of the planet or dropped into some black hole," he continued. "This isn't how a government interested in rule of law acts."

The Department of Homeland Security later issued a statement regarding Vásquez, claiming he was detained after being "confirmed" as an alleged member of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

"Further investigation resulted in Prada being designated a public safety threat as a confirmed member of TdA and in violation of his conditions of admission. Prada was apprehended and transferred to ICE Michigan for detention," said their statement.

"On Feb. 27, an immigration judge ordered Prada removed from the U.S. On March 15, Prada was removed to El Salvador," the department continued.

Originally published on Latin Times

Tags

McDonalds, Detroit, Michigan, Venezuela, Department of Homeland Security, Immigration, Deportation