Venezuelan authorities to probe alleged case of forced disappearance in U.S.

CARACAS, April 23 (Xinhua) -- The Venezuelan Attorney General's Office said on Wednesday it will investigate a possible case of the forced disappearance of a Venezuelan citizen in the United States.

"The Public Ministry reports that it has begun an investigation into the forced disappearance of Venezuelan citizen Ricardo Prada, who was detained in late January 2025 in Michigan and subsequently held at a maximum-security center in Texas," the Attorney General's Office said in a statement.

According to Venezuelan authorities, Prada worked in the city of Detroit, Michigan, and was detained for deportation.

"At the end of March, Prada informed a friend that he was being held at a maximum-security detention center in Texas, after which his whereabouts remain unknown," the authorities said.

The statement cited an article in The New York Times that said Prada did not appear "among those deported to El Salvador," though U.S. authorities claimed he was deported.

A specialized human rights prosecutor has been appointed to conduct the investigation.

Authorities here have described the deportations of Venezuelan migrants in the United States to third countries or without due process as violations of international law. ■