Venezuelans deported to El Salvador prison 'trapped in nightmare'

Gertrudis Pineda tells the BBC she has no information about her son who was sent by the US to a prison in El Salvador.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatch LiveHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcastsRadioAudio FAQsVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewslettersVenezuelans deported to mega-prison 'trapped in black hole'14 hours agoShareSaveWill GrantMexico, Cuba and Central America correspondentReporting fromSan SalvadorShareSaveCourtesy of Gertrudis PinedaGertrudis Pineda insists her son Oscar is not a criminalThe lack of tangible information about her son Oscar – one of 238 Venezuelans deported by the US to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador – has driven Gertrudis Pineda to despair and left her at the brink of a breakdown.

She bursts into tears the instant we start to talk about Oscar.

"My son only went to seek the American Dream and now he's trapped in a nightmare," she sobs.

Oscar lived in Dallas, Texas. Gertrudis explains he laid carpets in apartments for a living: "He helped me by sending money for the family and to buy medicines for his father, who has diabetes."

Gertrudis is 1,800km away from Oscar, speaking to me from the stifling heat of Zulia state, in western Venezuela.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2y5k2zyz5o

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