Detainees signal SOS outside migrant facility ahead of deportations
An image captured by a Reuters drone is drawing national attention. At a detention center in Texas, dozens of detainees — some alleged to be members of the Tren de Aragua gang — stood in a courtyard spelling out “SOS.”
Reuters reported that the individuals seen wearing red jumpsuits have been designated as “high-risk.”
Deportations temporarily halted by Supreme Court
At least some of the detainees had already received deportation orders from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. According to the ACLU, those detainees were en route to the airport for removal to a high-security prison in El Salvador when their bus suddenly turned back to the detention center, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to halt deportations under the Alien Enemies Act.
Reuters also reported conducting phone interviews with some of the detainees, who said they feared being sent to El Salvador’s prison, known for its harsh conditions and crackdown on gang members.
Families dispute gang ties
According to Reuters, citing detainees and their families, some men accused of being part of the Tren de Aragua gang are denying any gang affiliation.
Among the detainees was Diover Millan, a Venezuelan who came to the U.S. in 2023. His wife told Reuters he had no criminal record and had been granted temporary protected status. She said he told her, “I’m scared,” after he was arrested in Atlanta, Georgia, last month.
Detainees speak to The Guardian
The Guardian also reached some detainees by telephone. During a phone interview from the Bluebonnet Detention Center, a man named Escalona stated that he had no ties to Tren de Aragua or any other gang. He claimed he had worked as a police officer in Venezuela.
Escalona said U.S. authorities took his phone when he was detained and likely saw images of him making hand gestures that are common in Venezuela. “They’re making false accusations about me,” he said. “I don’t belong to any gang.”
DHS responds to reporting on SOS image
In response to media reports and the viral SOS image, the Department of Homeland Security issued statements on X.
“The real story here is that the Biden administration was releasing gang members into American communities,” DHS wrote. The agency says that Escalona is a “self-admitted Tren de Aragua gang member” who entered the U.S. illegally on March 27, 2024, and was arrested for felony evading arrest with a vehicle. He remains in ICE custody at the Bluebonnet Detention Center pending deportation.
The agency also claimed that Diover Millan is a “documented member” of Tren de Aragua. According to DHS, Millan was arrested by Border Patrol on May 3, 2023, released under the previous administration, and later detained by ICE in March 2025.
In a separate post aimed at Reuters, DHS stated: “Reuters ‘reporting’ fails to mention that the Biden Administration released two Tren de Aragua gang members into American communities. President Trump and Secretary Noem have ended catch and release and will not allow criminal gangs to terrorize American citizens.”
Migration from Venezuela
Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans have entered the U.S. in recent years, many legally under humanitarian protections extended by the Biden administration in response to the country’s economic collapse under Nicolás Maduro’s regime.
An FBI assessment last month found that some Venezuelan government officials “likely facilitate” the migration of Tren de Aragua gang members to the U.S. in an effort to “destabilize” the country and “undermine” public safety.
Deportations are ‘pending’
As for the migrants currently held at the Bluebonnet Detention Center, while reports suggest the recent Supreme Court ruling stalled their deportations, the Trump administration maintains that their deportations are simply “pending.”
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
