U.S. Government Detains Venezuelan Political Prisoner Despite Strong Asylum Claims
Despite credible evidence of torture and political persecution, the Biden administration continues to detain Venezuelan exile Gregory Sanabria—raising troubling questions about America’s commitment to freedom and asylum protections.
Gregory Sanabria’s story is one of courage met by Cold Bureaucracy. A former political prisoner who endured four harrowing years in Venezuela’s notorious Helicoide prison—a site infamous for human rights abuses—Sanabria sought refuge on American soil after fleeing the Maduro regime. Yet today, instead of freedom, he remains confined within a Texas migrant detention center, his plea for asylum left unresolved.
How Can America Detain a Documented Victim of Tyranny?
Sanabria arrived in the United States in 2022 after an arduous journey through the perilous Darién Gap, crossing into our southern border and surrendering himself to Border Patrol authorities. He underwent a credible fear interview—a standard safeguard meant to protect genuine victims of persecution—and was released under supervision with authorization to work while his asylum case unfolds.
Despite this, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement rejected his bail request, holding that Sanabria is unlawfully present and must stay detained pending immigration court decisions. This stance flies in the face of common sense and justice: How can someone be “illegal” when they complied fully with immigration protocols and have solid grounds for asylum backed by international organizations like Amnesty International and the UN Human Rights Office?
An Ominous Warning for Freedom Seekers Everywhere
This detention doesn’t occur in a vacuum; it reflects a disturbing pattern where America’s immigration system punishes rather than protects those fleeing authoritarian oppression. Sanabria’s legal team rightly warns that this approach serves as intimidation against immigrants with legitimate claims—detain them to dissuade others from seeking refuge.
Consider the stakes: Forcibly deporting Sanabria back to Venezuela almost guarantees a return to imprisonment or worse under Maduro’s henchmen, including figures like Diosdado Cabello who oversee such repression daily. Yet Washington appears willing to risk these outcomes rather than uphold our nation’s historic commitment to freedom and sanctuary.
The America First principle demands prioritizing national sovereignty alongside protecting genuine victims whose freedoms align with our values. Allowing bureaucratic inertia or political pressure to trap someone like Sanabria behind bars undermines both security and moral leadership.
As families across America cherish liberty amid rising global threats, how long will we tolerate policies that erode those ideals here at home? Gregory Sanabria’s plight should galvanize us all—not only as a call for humane treatment but as an indictment of systemic failures compromising our nation’s soul.