A cartel tortured Julio: The US denied his family asylum and wants to send them to a third country
His family’s efforts to remain in the country have run up against Donald Trump’s hardline immigration policies
Julio De Ávila Hernández, a young man from Guadalajara, Mexico, was recruited by a drug cartel to deliver packages and was eventually tortured, according to his mother Blanca Hernández. The family sought asylum in the United States in 2024, but immigration authorities planned to deport them to a third country deemed "safe" to avoid endangering their lives.
The plan to send them to Ecuador, Honduras, or Guatemala triggered an appeal process for the family to remain in the U.S. Julio's mother alleges that he was forced to work for the cartel and was subjected to drug addiction and threats of violence, including the potential death of his family. In April 2017, Julio was found dead in his home with multiple stab wounds, and his sister documented a horrific video showing him being cut off at the wrist and beaten.
Written by urgent.news from El Pais English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
