Kenlyn Rafael Rodriguez Rojas
Kenlyn Rafael Rodriguez Rojas entered the US in April 2023 and is now confirmed to be in CECOT.
Coming to the US
In 2018, Kenlyn left Venezuela and moved to Peru with his wife and son due to the economic crisis and food shortages. He left behind a family business. They lived in Peru for five years where Kenlyn worked as a bricklayer and mechanic. While in Peru, his daughter was born and Kenlyn got a tattoo of her name and two crosses, one on each shoulder. After Kenlyn’s mother was diagnosed with cancer, he decided to move with his family to the US in order to make more money to send to her for treatment. In March 2023 they arrived in Mexico where they requested an immigration appointment through the CBP One app. While waiting for their appointment, a severe storm destroyed their tent and they decided to turn themselves in to immigration authorities. They were detained for three days and then allowed to enter on April 29,2023 with an appointment to appear in immigration court in 18 months.
After moving to Washington state, Kenlyn began working as a delivery driver. He was working to obtain TPS but had not yet been able to do so. After 18 months, he was informed that his immigration appointment was postponed, but then did take place on November 5, 2024.
Detention and expulsion
On January 13, 2025 he was detained and arrested by ICE agents in New York while working as a mechanic. His wife discovered he was being detained in Philadelphia , PA where he remained for 46 days, communicating with his wife and mother. In detention, Kenlyn had difficulty understanding the legal process, not receiving any translation into Spanish. He was told he would not be assigned a lawyer. He learned he was being accused of being a Tren de Aragua gang member. He was given the option of signing up for free legal advice, or sign a form for self-deportation. He chose to request deportation since he did not have the funds to hire an attorney. He was never given the self-deportation form to sign, although a judge informed him he would be deported to Venezuela.
On March 13 he called his family to let them know he was being deported. He asked his family in Caracas to be on the lookout. He was never heard from again. Instead his family found his name on the list of those deported to CECOT.
Source: https://rfkhumanrights.org/our-impact/justice/international-justice/rfk-human-rights-el-salvador-delegation-to-investigate-trumps-unlawful-deportations/
