Maikelys Antonella Espinoza Bernal, a two-year-old toddler from Venezuela, is finally back with her family. She spent nearly four years in U.S. government custody prior to this happy reunion. Weeks of high-stakes diplomatic and back-channel negotiations between senior Venezuelan officials and U.S. authorities brought about the reunion. It happened on May 14, 2025 at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Caracas. Yorelys and Maiker In May 2024, Maikelys’s parents—Yorelys Bernal and Maiker Espinoza-Escalona—applied for asylum in the United States. They and their daughter all risked deportation and would be separated from their daughter.
Maikelys was made an orphan when her mother, Yorelys Bernal, was deported to Venezuela on March 30, 2025. This tragic encounter forced Maikelys to grieve alone and in an unsafe environment. Her father, Maiker Espinoza-Escalona, was deported to El Salvador soon thereafter. According to news reports, he was transferred to a torture prison known as Cecot. From October through March, Maikelys’s parents flew in weekly to meet with him face-to-face. They refused to give up hope of getting their daughter back.
In response, the Venezuelan government has claimed U.S. officials have done Maikelys an “extrajudicial kidnapping.” The tattoos made it easy for U.S. authorities to identify Yorelys Bernal as a member of the Tren de Aragua gang. She believes this perception even influenced her custody outcome. At the same time, Maikelys’s father was transferred to a naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on March 29.
That long-awaited reunion finally took place last Saturday at the presidential palace in Caracas. Maikelys’ jubilant reunion with her mother and grandmother when she got to Spain. This particular event was able to galvanize significant media attention. It got most poignant when Venezuelan first lady Cilia Flores held the toddler in her arms.
Reuniting man and pet was Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello’s idea of a “great victory” for the country. He emphasized that without the diplomatic actions laid out above, there’s no way Maikelys would’ve returned.
“Today we have a great victory.” – Diosdado Cabello
For his part, President Nicolás Maduro acknowledged that Venezuelan officials did work in lockstep with U.S. lawyers and human rights activists. Their advocacy efforts made Maikelys’s safe return home possible. This would be a significant step in addressing the complex web of US-Venezuela relations. Both countries have navigated diplomatic strains over immigration enforcement and human rights practices.
