'I am in a nightmare'

SANDUSKY — A Sandusky woman swept up in an immigration raid at an ethnic grocery store on Cleveland Road (U.S. 6) in Sandusky two weeks ago detailed her journey to the United States, her fears of returning to her homeland and agents' attempts to pressure her to give up her legal residence in the country and "self-deport." Yeiny Vivas, 32, spoke with a reporter during a recent telephone interview she made while incarcerated at the Mahoning County Jail. Vivas spoke through a Spanish interpreter. During the nearly 45-minute discussion, she spoke about how her American journey began in her native Venezuela, when she disagreed with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's politics and began attending protests calling for his ouster. Maduro's Venezuela According to the United States Government Accountability Office, political unrest, financial collapse and corruption in Venezuela have created an environment that allows transnational criminal organizations to operate unchecked. Their illegal activities include illicit finance as well as trafficking of people, drugs and arms. U.S. agencies have indicated that the Maduro regime tolerates transnational criminal organizations' operations within Venezuela, including some groups that the U.S. has designated as terrorist organizations. In 2019, the U.S. ceased recognizing Maduro as Venezuela's president and suspended embassy operations in Venezuela. Security forces have rounded up more than 20,000 people for demonstrating against Maduro or casting doubt on his claims that he won a third term despite strong evidence he lost the vote by a more than 2-to-1 margin. The spree of detentions — urged on by Maduro himself — is unprecedented and puts Venezuela on pace to easily exceed those jailed during three previous crackdowns against Maduro's opponents, according to a report from the Associated Press. Those arrested include journalists, political leaders, campaign staffers and an attorney defending protesters. Others have had their Venezuelan passports annulled. According to Vivas, she lived in fear of Maduro's reprisals and when she heard of extrajudicial killings and shortages of medications she needs to survive, she decided to endure the trek to the United States, the only nation she thought would embrace her and protect her from those who threatened democracy in Venezuela. The Darien Gap Understanding the dangers that lay ahead, including cartel violence, human traffickers and the harsh desert and jungle environments, Vivas said she packed a few possessions and began the trek known as the "Darien Route" in 2023. According to Geographical, the Darien Gap is one of the most inhospitable and dangerous migration routes in the world. The Darien Gap stretches for more than 60 miles of rugged terrain — including swamps, rainforests and mountains — in Panama and Colombia, and is the only possible overland route between South and Central America. It is part of a break in the Pan-American Highway, which otherwise stretches from Alaska to the very southern tip of Argentina. Safe at last When she arrived near the U.S. border, the "coyotes" or guides, pointed her toward a border crossing and she covered the final miles to the checkpoint and, following proper legal procedures, applied for asylum. After several days in federal detention, she was given the opportunity to stand in front of an American immigration judge, who allowed her to enter the country legally. Vivas was then issued a Social Security number and card along with a work permit. With her newly issued legal residency, and feeling truly safe for the first time in years, Vivas said she joined the Sandusky community, gaining employment at a local factory, leased an apartment she shared with several roommates, paid Social Security and Medicaid taxes and most importantly, attended every federal immigration court date assigned to her. Her most recent court date was last October and Vivas said she currently had no subsequent court dates assigned, something backed up by documents reviewed by the newspaper. Detained Vivas was arrested along with two other Sandusky residents on June 16 outside of a grocery store on Cleveland Road (U.S. 6). The newspaper has reviewed documents that appear to indicate two of the three arrested — including Vivas — are legal residents of the U.S. Documentation for the third person arrested has not been located. From the video reviewed by the newspaper, the agents' attire did not appear to clarify who they worked for. The agents, while wearing tactical equipment, were dressed in plain clothes and did not have any "police" markings. A witness said one agent referred to himself as a member of Border Patrol. Another bystander who asked the newspaper not to print his name due to fear of retaliation told the newspaper the agents refused to produce a warrant. "I asked if they had a warrant and they just told me to be quiet," he said. Recent detentions within Sandusky during the past several weeks have brought the idea of habeas corpus to the forefront of local immigration discussions. Habeas corpus is a legal procedure invoking the jurisdiction of a court to review the unlawful detention or imprisonment of an individual, according to Black's Law Dictionary. Sandusky has seen several recent detentions with authorities refusing to identify the individuals arrested, the charges they are being held on, the location of detention or the arresting agency. Numerous calls and emails to Border Patrol, FBI and Immigration and Customs Enforcement have gone unreturned. Nightmare According to Vivas, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE, has not told her why she is being held in custody or if she faces any charges. The ICE website still shows her immigration status as valid. Federal authorities are pressuring her to "self-deport," a process that allows a person to forgo the often complex and lengthy immigration court process. Instead, the U.S. government will remove them from the country immediately. The tactic often leaves her wondering if that could be the best option. "I left my home in fear that I would be detained and maybe hurt," Vivas said. "I came here to be safe but now I find myself in the same situation I was in in Venezuela, but there it was the fear of a nightmare in prison for not doing anything wrong, and now I am in (a) nightmare I feared."