Venezuelan teen signs voluntary departure order after 90 days in ICE custody

Luis Manuel Pérez returned to Venezuela on October 29 after signing a voluntary departure order. The 18-year-old Venezuelan had spent the previous three months in U.S. immigration custody. His decision to leave ended his detention but separated him from his mother, who remains in the United States.

Pérez arrived in the U.S. with his mother, Maria Isabel La Rizza, five years ago. He finished high school and began working before his status changed. According to his mother, officers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection stopped him at his job on July 29. They asked for identification and determined he had violated his visa terms.

La Rizza stated that her family is currently undergoing a migratory process. She said agents recognized the visa violation after reviewing his ID. Telemundo 51 requested information from the agency about the case, but the agency had not confirmed the details as of publication.

Pérez was first held at the Miramar immigration processing center. He was later moved to the Broward Transitional Center. His mother said he faced difficult conditions during his stay. She described a small, closed room holding between 80 and 100 people. Inmates rotated positions, taking turns standing, sitting, and lying down to sleep. Authorities denied him bail on two occasions.

After the detention dragged on, the mother and son discussed voluntary return. Pérez told his mother he wanted to stop suffering. He suggested he use the time to attend university for a year or two. He called it a fresh start. With the help of an immigration attorney, he signed the necessary documents to leave.

Immigration attorney Antonio Ramos explained that voluntary departure requires the individual to withdraw any asylum application. The person must register the order at the embassy in their home country to create a path for future return. Ramos noted that specific immigration consequences depend on factors like criminal history and the length of unlawful stay. A voluntary exit does not guarantee reentry rights.

The case emerged the same day Tom Homan, the border czar, spoke in Miami about people without legal status. Homan said those who entered illegally are deceiving the system. He added that some individuals without criminal records may have the chance to present their cases to a judge. Pérez has reunited with his maternal grandparents in Venezuela. La Rizza stays in the U.S. with the hope that the separation is temporary.