by Andreína Chávez Alava for Venezuelanalysis
Two-year-old Maikelys Antonella Espinoza Bernal was reunited with her family in Venezuela after being forcibly separated by US authorities.
The toddler’s release was made possible due to efforts by the Nicolás Maduro government to bring her back from the United States. The Venezuelan president stated that the child’s return was the result of talks with Trump administration Special Envoy Richard Grenell.
The toddler arrived Wednesday morning at Simón Bolívar International Airport near Caracas, where she was received by Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and National Assembly Representative Cilia Flores.
“Thanks to all the media outlets that stayed alert, to the solidarity of our people, and to the steadfastness of the government. Welcome home, Maikelys,” Flores said, holding the girl during a national broadcast.
Cabello called Maikelys’ return from the US a “great victory,” describing it as a “battle fought with wisdom” by the Maduro administration.
The young girl was among the group of Venezuelans who returned on a flight that arrived Wednesday morning. Analysts such as Indira Urbaneja have suggested that the child’s repatriation was tied to the departure of far-right opposition figures from the Argentine Embassy in Caracas last week.
The two-year-old child was forcibly separated from her parents and placed in foster care by US authorities in May 2024, shortly after the family arrived in Texas and surrendered to immigration officials.
Maikelys’ mother, 20-year-old Yorely Bernal Inciarte, was recently deported to Venezuela, while her father, 25-year-old Maiker Espinoza Escalona, was sent to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT mega-prison in March. The child was left alone in the US under the care of the Office of Refugee Resettlement.
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed that Maikelys was removed from her parents’ custody after determining they both belonged to Tren de Aragua, a group designated as a terrorist organization in the US, though no evidence was provided.
Investigations indicate that the couple has no criminal record in either Venezuela or the US, aside from a federal case for improper entry filed in 2024. Their families have also pleaded their innocence and condemned the unfounded accusations.
Maduro denounced Maikelys’ “abduction” and pledged to mobilize resources to secure her safe return and reunification with her mother. Bernal and her daughter met with the president at Miraflores Palace on Wednesday afternoon.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration launched an extensive deportation campaign, particularly targeting Venezuelans. Since mid-March, 252 Venezuelan nationals were forcibly expelled from the US under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, based on allegations of gang affiliation.
Investigative reports have shown that most of the 252 had no criminal record in the US, and the gang accusations were primarily based on profiling, such as tattoos—a methodology criticized by experts. Washington has likewise alleged that Caracas deliberately sent gang members to “invade” and “destabilize” the US. Nevertheless, US intelligence briefings have contradicted the White House’s claims of ties between the Maduro government and Tren de Aragua.
According to reports, the Trump administration is paying Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele approximately $20,000 per detainee annually as part of an agreement that originally planned for the transfer of up to 500 Venezuelans to a Salvadoran mega-prison.