2-year-old girl reunites with mother in Venezuela after US deportation
Maikelys Espinoza was separated from her parents when they were removed from the US in what Venezuela denounced as a kidnapping
A two-year-old girl arrived in Caracas on Wednesday to reunite with her mother after she was separated from her parents when they were deported from the US in what Venezuela denounced as a kidnapping.
Maikelys Espinoza arrived at an airport outside the capital, Caracas, along with more than 220 deported migrants.
Footage aired by state television showed Venezuela’s first lady Cilia Flores carrying Maikelys at the airport.
Later, Flores was shown handing the girl over to her mother, who had been waiting for her arrival at the presidential palace along with President Nicolas Maduro.
“Here is everyone’s beloved little girl. She is the daughter and granddaughter of all of us,” Maduro said.
The US government had claimed the family separation last month was justified because the girl’s parents allegedly have ties to the Venezuelan-based Tren de Aragua gang, which US President Donald Trump designated a terrorist organisation earlier this year.