His father, Luis Alberto Castillo, from Venezuela, entered the United States on January 19th, a day before Donald Trump became president for his second term.
By February 4th, Castillo was on a plane to US Navy Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
On that day, the Department of Homeland Security declared that those who were deported to the island represented “the worst and worst” and were all members of Tren de Lagua, a Venezuelan criminal group.
However, in an interview from his home in Colombia, Castillo's sister, Yajairah Castillo, said that her brother is not a member of a gang to fear, but a daily Venezuelan who fled from his country due to the economic crisis. I said that.
She broke repeatedly during the conversation, crying, explaining the pain and confusion about her brother's situation.
“My brother is not a criminal,” she said. “This is all discrimination and xenophobia, just because he's Venezuela.”
Given that Castillo spent such time in the US, she said she had determined he was a member of Tren de Lagua and how the US government deserved such harsh treatment. I questioned whether I had decided.
After he entered the United States, officials suspected Castillo as a member of the gang because of his tattoos.
He refused to admit that he was part of a criminal group. Later, authorities evaluated his tattoos and interviewed him, and they discovered that he appears to have no connection to Tren de Aragua, people said.
In an email, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security said that Castillo was illegally in the United States and that he had received a final deportation order by a federal judge.
“This administration is defending the rule of law,” spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said. “During further evaluations, intelligence agents were unable to clearly determine whether an individual is a confirmed member of the TDA,” or Tren de Aragua. “He may be a member of this vicious gang. He may not be.”
McLaughlin later said he received confirmation that he was a member of the gang but did not provide further evidence.
In an interview, Castillo's sister shared a screenshot showing that he didn't try to avoid authorities when he entered the country. The image included details of the promise her brother set aside to present himself at the border to claim his asylum at 7am on January 19th
The Biden administration had set up a system for immigrants to make these claims and legally enter the United States through an app called CBP One. Trump ended the program on January 21st.
Last week, the US government sent over 80 men to Guantanamo Bay as part of a massive plan to house up to 30,000 immigrants at naval bases as part of a massive plan by the Trump administration. . So far, all detainees are considered Venezuelans. Some are housed in base prison buildings, while others are detained at the Immigration Operations Center, a dorm-style facility. (DHS says Castillo is being held at the immigration centre)
The US military is building tent camps on the premises to significantly expand its ability to retain detained migrants.
The Pentagon describes the arrival of the first few Guantanamos as “an illegal aliens of threat” and detention at the base as “temporary measures.” However, the administration has not released details to prove that the man has a criminal history, explaining that authorities have deemed him a threat.
Castillo is believed to be among the first 10 men sent there from El Paso, Texas on February 4th. , the new head of the Department of Homeland Security.
Images of Mr. Castillo's head being low and surrounded by a bow, with a camouflage and gloved officer holding his back were later widely shared on social media. Castillo happened in Tiktok.
Tren de Aragua, a multinational group born in the state of Aragua, Venezuela, expanded to other parts of Latin America and the United States.
Castillo has a Michael Jordan tattoo on his neck. His sister believes border authorities took it as a sign that he was part of a gang. In one of the last messages she sent to her before detention, Castillo said he reached the border and officials “treated him badly for the tattoo.”
Rona Risch, a Venezuelan investigative journalist who wrote a book on criminal groups, said it was wrong for authorities to assume that someone with a Michael Jordan tattoo is a member.
Some individuals at Tren de Aragua may wear symbols, she said, but this is because basketball, which can be played with limited resources, is extremely popular in poor areas of Venezuela for the past decades. It relates to the fact that it is
“My passion for Michael Jordan has been around for generations as he is the ultimate icon of basketball,” she said.
Castillo said tattoos are simply part of the younger brother's appearance, often including shorts, sneakers and Jordan gear. She shared a photo of him past wearing the “Jumpman” logo and sweatshirt associated with Mr. Jordan.
She said she believes the brother's affinity for Jordan has transformed him into the “guinea pig” of the Trump administration's growing deportation program.
Like many Venezuelans, Castillo left his country many years ago, living in Colombia and washing his cars. His sister said he left the US in hopes that he was barely rubbing and would make more money “to give everything to his son, work and work for him.”
His journey to the southern US border began in late 2023, she said. With limited funding, it took him to reach Texas until January this year. There, she said he was arrested by authorities.
A review of public police records shows that Castillo had not been convicted of the crime while in Colombia.
Mr. Castillo is the eighth of nine brothers. There are four people living in Colombia and four people living in Venezuela. He will turn 30 on February 23rd.
Guantanamo's base is best known for its post-9/11 detention facility run by the Pentagon. Apart from the Venezuelans being detained there today in immigration detention, they have 15 foreigners as wartime prisoners.
Castillo said he knew little about Guantanamo, but it was “Hidang Garcel for the major terrorists,” and once sent there, the prisoner said, “the rights for the worst criminals were There's none.”
All she wanted for her brother now was “he's returned.”
“I don't want him to go into the hands of the government,” she continued. “What I want is he'll be brought back to us.”
Carol Rosenberg contributed to reporting from Simon Posadas from Bogota, Florida and Colombia.
