4.15.25
Federal immigration authorities apprehended a 19-year-old in New York despite realizing he was not the intended target. The young man, Merwil Gutiérrez, was later deported to El Salvador's notorious super prison, despite his family's insistence that he has no gang ties or criminal history. His father, Wilmer Gutiérrez, is now searching for answers after his son was snatched by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. "The officers grabbed him and two other boys right at the entrance to our building.One of the ICE officers said, 'No, he's not the one,' like they were looking for someone else. But the other ICE officer said, 'Take him anyway,' Wilmer told Documented, an independent, nonprofit newsroom dedicated to reporting for immigrant communities in New York City."
According to his father, the agents initially acknowledged he was not the individual they were seeking—but chose to detain him anyway. Just days later, Gutiérrez was deported to El Salvador, where he was transferred to a high security prison known for housing members of violent gangs, including the transnational criminal group Tren de Aragua. His family and attorneys say he has no criminal record, no gang affiliations, and "not even a tattoo," which authorities often use to profile alleged gang members. Wilmer Gutiérrez last spoke to his son on March 16 during a brief call allowed by police. He had spent days searching for information, visiting police stations and courthouses, only to be told there was no record of his son. Wilmer Gutiérrez later discovered through a news report that his son had been deported to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. "I could have understood if he'd been sent back to Venezuela," he said. "But why to a foreign country he's never even been to?"