No safe haven: Venezuelan migrants caught between Maduro's brutal regime and Trump's immigration crackdown.

For Hiowanka Avila Rivas, the torture her brother experienced at the hands of Venezuelan authorities is proof of the danger that Venezuelans face if deported from the United States.

- BY RAYMOND FERNÁNDEZ Special to the AmNews

“My brother had to record a video — a forced video — and once the video was done, the torture at the Helicoide began. They pulled out his toenails. He was subjected to electric shocks, beaten,” said Avila in Spanish, speaking over the phone from Caracas, Venezuela, where she lives and continues to advocate for his release, and of those whom she asserts have been unfairly imprisoned.

“They tied him up, hung him up, put a bag over his face, and sprayed insecticide into it,” she added about Henryberth Rivas’ torture.

In the U.S., Venezuelan migrants have become prime targets of Trump's immigration crackdown. Despite multiple court orders attempting to halt removals, deportation efforts continue — eroding their protections and raising fears of being sent back to Venezuela or even El Salvador.

“My brother didn't belong to any political party.” His crime, Avila said, was to attend the 2017 protests and express what Venezuelans felt at the time, “disagreement with the hunger in the country, the food shortages, and the poor quality of life.”

Avila's testimony illustrates the harsh reality political prisoners face in the country, with reports from the United Nations' Human Rights Office describing conditions in Venezuela's prisons as “beyond monstrous,” the same year Henryberth Rivas was detained.

He was apprehended by the regime's torturous intelligence forces on Aug. 5, 2018. Avila said, before his arrest, he was “tied to the patrol car and dragged for three blocks,” and tortured for 48 days before being “wrongfully” charged with magnicide. Avila's family hasn't been the same, she explains.

Henryberth's story illustrates the dangers Venezuelans face if deported to a country where dissent often leads to prison, torture, or even death. Human Rights Watch reports that since 2014, “more than 15,800 people have been subjected to politically motivated arrests,” and more than 270 political prisoners remain behind bars.