A Houston judge has ordered the U.S. government to locate Widmer Agelviz-Sanguino, a 24-year-old Venezuelan man deported after being flagged for tattoos at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Federal officials now seek more time to comply, as attorneys claim due process was ignored.
The United States government has asked a federal judge in Houston for additional time to locate Widmer Agelviz-Sanguino, a 24-year-old Venezuelan man allegedly deported after being misidentified as a gang member due to his tattoos.
The request came Tuesday, just one day after the judge ordered immigration authorities to find Agelviz-Sanguino, who has not been heard since mid-March.
Agelviz-Sanguino arrived in Houston last fall with his family as part of the refugee resettlement program, having completed a thorough vetting process. However, upon arrival at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers flagged him for tattoos they claimed resembled those of Tren de Aragua, a violent Venezuelan gang.
His attorney, Javier Rivera, says the tattoos are entirely benign: a rose garden symbolizing time spent with his grandmother, an owl that once visited his window, and a clock reflecting childhood memories. Rivera insists that Agelviz-Sanguino was targeted based solely on visual assumptions and denied his rights under U.S. immigration law.
According to documents from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, he was denied entry due to alleged gang affiliation. Yet, no concrete evidence has been provided to support this claim, and Rivera says neither the family nor the legal team has received confirmation that Agelviz-Sanguino was actually deported.
A May 9 lawsuit against DHS Secretary Kristi Noem alleges that his removal violated due process and bypassed the immigration court system entirely. Rivera says the only indication of deportation came from a CBS article referencing a deportation manifest to El Salvador’s notorious mega-prison, CECOT.
“The family has not heard a word from him,” Rivera said. “There’s been no proof he’s in El Salvador, only a news article suggesting so.”
The Department of Justice declined to comment.
As Israeli-Iranian hostilities stretched into a sixth day, Tehran issued a stark warning: any U.S. military involvement could trigger a full-scale regional war. The threat follows escalated rhetoric from former President Donald Trump, who has moved to bolster American forces in the region while signaling a hardline stance toward Iran’s leadership.
Typical summer weather continues across Texas this week, with daily storm chances and highs near 90°F. Meanwhile, the National Hurricane Center is monitoring a tropical disturbance in the Atlantic, though it's not expected to impact the U.S.
Houston Community College is officially changing its name to Houston City College after a board vote on June 18. The rebranding reflects the school's expanding roster of four-year degree programs and its effort to enhance its public image.