• Detainees at Bluebonnet detention center formed an S-O-S in the yard to signal distress.
• Claims of gang affiliations have raised fears of deportation under wartime legislation.
• The Supreme Court has temporarily blocked deportations of these detainees pending further review.
• Families of detainees report that many denied any gang connections and were threatened with removal.
• The facility has an average of 846 detainees daily, with reports of inadequate living conditions.

Detainees at the Bluebonnet immigrant detention center in Anson, Texas, sent a distress signal by forming the letters S-O-S in their yard, visible to a flying drone. This desperate act reflects their fear amid allegations of gang affiliations, which officials claim make them eligible for deportation under a wartime law, according to reports from Reuters, HuffPost, and India Times.

On April 18, authorities attempted to transport the detainees, who predominantly hail from Venezuela, to Abilene Regional Airport; however, they were returned to the facility after a Supreme Court decision temporarily blocked their deportations. This situation has heightened anxiety among the detainees, especially regarding the possibility of being sent to CECOT, a maximum security prison in El Salvador, according to Reuters and India Times.

The Bluebonnet facility, privately managed under a contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has been reported to hold an average of 846 detainees daily in fiscal year 2025. Many of those detained, including men identified as Diover Millan, 24, and Jeferson Escalona, 19, have denied gang involvement, asserting that allegations have arisen without credible evidence. Millan, for instance, moved to Bluebonnet from Georgia’s Stewart detention center and has no previous criminal record, raising questions about the validity of the claims against him, as detailed by HuffPost and India Times.

Escalona, who served as a police officer in Venezuela, has expressed fears for his safety, claiming that authorities misinterpret common gestures in his photos as gang symbols. He, along with other detainees, has sought voluntary repatriation to Venezuela, which has been denied, according to Reuters and HuffPost.

The situation for many detainees is compounded by past experiences of fleeing Venezuela, where economic turmoil and authoritarian governance under President Nicolas Maduro have driven hundreds of thousands to seek refuge in the United States. Recent governmental moves under the Trump administration threaten the temporary protections established during President Biden's term, adding an additional layer of complexity to their predicament, as reported by Reuters and India Times.