ICE detains Venezuelan journalist Wilmer Solano in Miami Beach despite pending asylum

Wilmer Solano ICE asylum journalist detention Miami Beach

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested Venezuelan journalist Wilmer Solano on Sunday at Miami Beach’s Haulover Beach area while he was working. Solano, who has lived in the United States since 2015, holds a pending asylum application, a valid Florida driver’s license and a work permit, and according to the Association of Venezuelan Journalists Abroad (Apevex) has no criminal record in either the United States or Venezuela. Apevex said ICE did not provide a reason for the detention.

Solano’s career spans more than two decades, including work for Globovisión (2002‑2008) and ownership of the news agency Zorro Comunicaciones. He says he was previously assaulted in Venezuela in 2011 by municipal officials while covering opposition campaigns. His wife, María Moreno, started a GoFundMe petition describing the arrest as occurring without a judicial order or criminal charges. The case joins other recent ICE detentions of journalists such as Colombian reporter Estefany Rodríguez and Salvadoran Mario Guevara.

Entities: Association of Venezuelan Journalists Abroad (Apevex) · María Moreno · U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) · Wilmer Solano

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 4 SOURCES] Solano’s wife María Moreno started a GoFundMe petition saying the detention occurred without a judicial order or criminal charges. (family statement)
[● 4 SOURCES] Solano holds a valid Florida driver’s license and work permit and has no criminal record in the United States or Venezuela. (legal status)
[● 4 SOURCES] ICE detained Wilmer Solano at Haulover Beach in Miami Beach on Sunday, July 26 2024. (detention)
[● 4 SOURCES] In August 2011 Solano was assaulted by municipal officials in Tinaquillo, Venezuela while covering opposition campaigns. (previous assault)
[● 4 SOURCES] The Association of Venezuelan Journalists Abroad (Apevex) said ICE has not explained the reason for the detention. (agency statement)
[● 4 SOURCES] Wilmer Solano has a pending asylum application in the United States. (asylum status)
[● 4 SOURCES] Solano worked for Globovisión from 2002 to 2008 and owned the news agency Zorro Comunicaciones. (career background)
[● 4 SOURCES] ICE has previously detained other journalists, including Colombian reporter Estefany Rodríguez and Salvadoran Mario Guevara. (historical precedent)