Men at Texas immigrant detention facility spell out 'SOS' with bodies

David Matthews, New York Daily News on Apr 30, 2025

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A group of Venezuelan men at a Texas immigrant detention facility facing possible deportation to El Salvador spelled out “S-O-S” with their bodies this week.

The men at the Bluebonnet facility in Anson were in the yard on Monday when they saw a news drone flying nearby and formed the letters, as shown in a Reuters photo.

“S-O-S” is a universally recognized distress code calling for help or rescue.

Earlier this month, officials at Bluebonnet had notified dozens of men they were accused of being members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and were being deported under a late 18th-century wartime law.

Family members of some of the men told Reuters they are not gang members and refused to sign documents to the contrary. The Trump administration is also trying to revoke temporary protections for Venezuelan refugees.

They were loaded onto a bus on April 18 that was headed to Abilene Regional airport before suddenly returning to Bluebonnet after the Supreme Court temporarily blocked their deportation.

They still face possible deportation to the notorious CECOT maximum security prison in El Salvador if the block is lifted.

Bluebonnet is owned by a private company that was contracted by ICE.

The plea for help comes as the Trump administration refuses to comply with a court order to facilitate the return of El Salvadoran Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was deported to CECOT and has similarly been accused of being a gang member with scant evidence.

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