“They Shattered Our Dreams”: Father Speaks Out After ICE Deports Son to Notorious Salvadoran Prison

As May Day protests erupt across the U.S. in support of workers and immigrant rights, one New York father is sounding the alarm about a devastating injustice. Wilmer Gutiérrez’s 19-year-old son, Merwil, was snatched by ICE agents in the Bronx and deported—despite having an active asylum case—to El Salvador’s infamous Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), where he’s now being held incommunicado alongside more than 230 other Venezuelans.

Eyewitnesses say ICE agents were looking for someone else entirely but arrested Merwil simply because he was Venezuelan. He has no criminal record, no tattoos—traits Trump-era officials have cited to justify branding Latin American immigrants as gang members and expelling them without trial.

“They shattered our dreams,” Wilmer said through tears. “We came here for safety, for opportunity. Instead, they took my son without reason, without process.”

The Gutiérrez family’s story is just one of many. A CNN report reveals the Trump administration is pushing to deport immigrants with or without criminal records to countries like Rwanda, Libya, and El Salvador. Many of these individuals, including Merwil, had pending asylum cases and legal grounds to remain in the U.S.

Wilmer has had no contact with his son since his sudden transfer to a Texas ICE facility, followed by a secretive deportation flight in March. His son’s name later appeared on a leaked list of Venezuelans expelled to CECOT—a facility notorious for harsh conditions and human rights violations.

We spoke with Wilmer and Ethar El-Katatney, editor-in-chief of Documented, the nonprofit newsroom that broke the story. El-Katatney emphasized that Merwil is one of many young men deported despite having no criminal background. “Out of 238 deported Venezuelans, nearly 75% have no record. These are real people, not just numbers,” she said.

Merwil’s cousin, Luis Acosta, witnessed the arrest from a window. He said at least 10 agents surrounded the teen. One agent reportedly admitted Merwil was not the person they were looking for, but another officer said, “Take him anyway.”

“I expected him to be home that night,” Wilmer recalled. “Instead, they treated him like a criminal, when he’s done nothing wrong. He was just coming home.”

Wilmer’s pain is matched by confusion and betrayal. “We came here legally. We trusted this country. And now they’ve thrown my son into a prison in another nation entirely—without trial, without rights, without warning.”

Despite media attention, political statements, and legal inquiries, there’s been no update on Merwil’s condition or any movement toward his release. Even in the widely reported case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia—another immigrant deported to El Salvador “in error”—the administration has refused to bring him back, defying court orders.

For Wilmer, speaking out is not a choice but a necessity. “I want the world to know what they did—not just to my son, but to all Venezuelans they’ve kidnapped like this,” he said. “They are violating every law, every human right. My son is still a child. And they are destroying him.”