Earthquake Kills Two Deported Venezuelans Hours After Arrival in Collapsed Hotel

Johana Pineda and her son were pulled from the rubble of a collapsed hotel near La Guaira, Venezuela, on June 24, 2026. Her husband, Richard Pereira, died from injuries sustained in the same building, which housed more than 100 people deported from the United States. Pineda told ABC News that the family had lived in Nashville, Tennessee, less than ten days earlier.

The couple worked at Amazon and their son attended martial arts classes during summer break. They had entered the country in 2022 on humanitarian parole and were pursuing asylum while attending required Immigration and Customs Enforcement check-ins. During a June check-in, authorities gave the family a choice between detention and voluntary departure.

Pineda said they selected departure to avoid detention. ICE agents told them they had until August 15 to leave, required weekly reporting, and ordered ankle monitors. The following Monday an agent informed them they were departing that day.

The family was detained and held in Texas until Wednesday before boarding a June 24 flight. Upon arrival in Venezuela they were taken to the hotel near La Guaira, where men and women were placed in separate rooms. That afternoon the structure collapsed during earthquakes that Venezuelan officials said killed more than 2,500 people and left nearly 50,000 unaccounted for, according to the International Rescue Committee.

Pineda said she shielded her son until rescuers reached them. She later learned Pereira had also died at a hospital. She buried him one week after the deportation.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told ABC News the flight reached Venezuela safely and that ICE is no longer responsible once individuals leave custody. Pineda said the family had no criminal record, paid taxes, and maintained an 800 credit score for Pereira. "They don't care if you have a life or a family," she said.