Kevin Johan Nieto is 27 years old. He was living in Colorado with his family.
His father worked in the Táchira state government and has been an opponent of the regime his entire life. He was well known for his moral character and integrity. The government wanted Kevin’s father to campaign on their behalf. The government began to attack him and send armed groups to threaten and intimidate him.
The government then began to attack Kevin’s mother, who was the victim of a robbery by the Criminalistic Investigation Service Corps (CICPC). Kevin enjoyed going out with his friends, and they began to threaten to “plant drugs” on him.
Kevin’s brother was studying in the United States. Kevin’s father went to the US on a tourist visa to visit. Because his mother was now alone, the government investigators began prowling around the house. At one point they entered the house and confiscated a computer. As a result, Kevin’s mother decided to go to the United States as well on a tourist visa. In December 2019, Kevin’s parents applied for asylum. In June of 2021 Kevin went to the US on a tourist visa to be with his parents and also applied for asylum.
Kevin bought a car and worked at DoorDash
In 2023 he was duped into going with a friend to fix a flat tire. Instead, he was driven to a remote area and the kidnappers called his father asking for a $2,000 ransom. His father went to the police. The police then called a Venezuelan police officer to try to persuade the kidnappers, who claimed to be from Tren de Aragua. They did not know if they were saying this to scare them or if it was really true. The kidnappers were captured and convicted.
At the end of November 2023, Kevin was arrested during an incident at a nightclub in Colorado where a small amount of a prohibited substance was found. He was advised by his public defender that a guilty plea for this minor offense would not significantly impact his asylum application, he was advised to plead guilty to avoid a lengthy trial.
Kevin was arrested on October 23, 2024 by immigration police at his home because he was in the country illegally. Kevin told the judge that because he had applied for asylum it was not illegal.
He was moved to Texas and was in detention until March 14. He spoke with his family and told them that he had been taken away in the early morning and put on a bus. He was told he was going to Venezuela.
(edited from RFK Human Rights)