Full Breakdown
Hundreds of U.S. Deportees Missing After La Guaira Hotel Collapse in Earthquake
6/30/2026, 12:10:44 PM
Event Overview
On June 24, 2026, a U.S. immigration flight from Miami landed at Simón Bolívar International Airport with 146 Venezuelan passengers, including 19 women and seven children. The group was transferred to Hotel Santuario La Llanada in the coastal city of La Guaira. Within hours, back-to-back earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 magnitude struck, collapsing the hotel. Rescue teams later reported that more than 100 of the deportees remained missing beneath the rubble.
Background & Context
The flight belonged to a deportation program that resumed in February 2025 after a 13-month pause. In May 2026, ICE logged twelve flights to Venezuela, moving 1,746 deportees that month. The effort follows an October Supreme Court decision that ended Temporary Protected Status for 300,000 Venezuelan migrants.
Timeline
10:22 a.m. – Flight lands; passengers taken to Hotel Santuario.
Hours later – First 7.2-magnitude quake collapses the hotel.
Seconds later – 7.5-magnitude aftershock.
Days later – Ongoing rescue.
Key Figures & Survivor Accounts
Survivor Lisbeth Portillo, 58, escaped a second-floor room with about 20 others and walked five kilometers to a National Guard post. Jenny Rodriguez, 24, described being freed by a fellow passenger. Families such as Luis Armando Dasilva and Yulis Salcedo have publicly sought answers.
Data & Statistics
The flight carried 146 people (19 women, seven children). More than 100 deportees are missing. Venezuela’s death toll exceeds 1,700. The United States has pledged over $300 million for relief and dispatched rescue teams.
Official Statements & Responses
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department declined comment. The United States sent search-and-rescue personnel and allocated $300 million to aid efforts. Venezuelan officials reported the 1,700-plus fatalities.
Criticism & Opposition
Families of missing deportees allege a lack of information from Venezuelan authorities and demand that bodies be released for burial. Yulis Salcedo called for justice for his injured son.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
No official Venezuelan figure lists missing deportees; estimates exceed 100. U.S. agencies have not confirmed the status of passengers beyond flight records.
Verbatim Quotes
- “I was born again; God gave me a second chance,” — Lisbeth Portillo, 58, survivor
- “We walked about five kilometers, and I cried and cried … there was no communication,” — Lisbeth Portillo
- “I was trapped under the rubble. A colleague who had been on the same flight came by; I managed to free my hand from the debris, grabbed him by the trousers, and begged for help” — Jenny Rodriguez, 24
- “No one is giving an answer about anything,” — Liliana Rojas, partner of a missing deportee
What’s Next
Search operations continue as families await official identification of victims. U.S. agencies have not provided further comment on the status of the deportees.
