"Goodbye, Merwil": The White House mocks a young man linked without evidence to the Aragua Train

A post on the official White House X account sparked controversy by highlighting the deportation of Merwil Gutiérrez, a 19-year-old Venezuelan man mistakenly detained in New York. He was deported to El Salvador without a criminal record and without due process, accused of being linked to the Aragua Train .

The Department of Homeland Security has flagged him for alleged possession of a firearm on school grounds and ammunition-feeding devices.

The case of Merwil Gutiérrez joins the more than 200 Venezuelans who were deported from the United States to El Salvador without due process and linked to the notorious criminal organization . Despite this, the White House somewhat ironically emphasized the case of the 19-year-old Venezuelan.

" Meet Merwil. Merwil is an illegal immigrant terrorist from the Aragua Train, convicted of possessing a loaded weapon at school. Merwil received a one-way deportation ticket to CECOT. Goodbye, Merwil," the White House wrote in its post on X.

Despite promoting a culture of deportation, Merwill's family has maintained his innocence, and even ICE agents acknowledged they had arrested the wrong person.

The criminal organization emerged in the 2010s in the Aragua Penitentiary Center, known as Tocorón prison, in Venezuela. Its founder, Héctor Guerrero Flores, alias "Niño Guerrero," consolidated his power from within the prison.

Over time, the group expanded its operations beyond prison, becoming involved in crimes such as extortion, arms trafficking, and drug trafficking. Its growth in Latin America was fueled by the Venezuelan migration crisis and the escape of its leaders following the military intervention in September 2023.

In February 2025, President Donald Trump designated Tren de Aragua as a terrorist group , along with Mexican cartels.