EFE.- The United States deported Rafael José Quero Silva to Venezuela, a former colonel in the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) accused of participating in the detention and torture of dozens of political opponents during Nicolás Maduro’s government.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detained Quero Silva in South Florida in February 2025. He served in the military during Maduro’s government. U.S. authorities arrested him last January, and he faces drug trafficking charges in a New York court.
The Venezuelan national entered the United States through Miami International Airport in June 2016 but failed to leave the country under the terms of his admission, according to an ICE statement.
Before arriving in the United States, the press release states, Quero Silva commanded a GNB detachment in Barquisimeto, where he participated in and knew about the excessive use of force, detentions, and torture of protesters who opposed Maduro.
Reports cited by ICE indicate that in 2013, Quero Silva directly supervised the torture of at least 74 peaceful protesters.
During their detention, authorities subjected opposition protesters to electric shocks, beatings with batons and frozen water bottles, threats of rape, and other forms of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, the statement added.
ICE said that since 2003, it has arrested more than 520 people for human rights violations under various criminal and immigration laws. It has also obtained deportation orders and removed 1,178 alleged human rights violators and war criminals from the country.
In addition, the agency has facilitated the departure of another 208 individuals and issued more than 80,000 alerts regarding suspected perpetrators of human rights abuses.
