International News: Maduro accuses U.S. of ‘Abducting’ Venezuelan toddler separated from deported parents

Published by BBNTEAM at April 29, 2025

Posted: Tuesday, April 29, 2025. 10:16 am CST.

By Zoila Palma: Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has accused the United States of committing a crime by separating a two-year-old Venezuelan girl from her deported migrant parents and placing her in foster care, AFP reports.

In a televised address Monday, Maduro condemned the move, calling it an “abduction” and a violation of international law. The girl, Maikelys Antonella Espinoza Bernal, was removed from her parents by U.S. authorities, who allege the parents are members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security claims the child was taken off a deportation flight for her safety and remains in foster care under the Office of Refugee Resettlement. It labeled the parents, Maiker Espinoza-Escalona and Yorely Bernal Inciarte, as dangerous gang members involved in drug trafficking and other crimes.

Venezuela’s foreign ministry has demanded the girl’s immediate return and rejected the gang allegations as baseless. The case has further strained U.S.-Venezuela relations amid ongoing deportations and human rights concerns.

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