Woman, daughter facing hurdles in efforts to self-deport from Orem to Venezuela

OREM — With her husband back in Venezuela, deported from the United States last August, Maria Barrios and the couple's young daughter Danna want to rejoin him.

But as a deadline looms to leave the country, they are facing obstacles in their efforts to self-deport. Federal authorities endorse self-deportation for immigrants in the country illegally and are even offering a $3,000 "exit bonus" for those who voluntarily leave the country.

"I can't be here with my daughter because I can't work," Barrios told KSL, noting her daughter's many medical needs and the care and attention the girl requires. "I don't have anyone I can leave my daughter with because I'm alone here without any family."

Barrios and her husband Andri Jose Barrios Perdomo, originally from Venezuela, came to the United States in 2023 in search of a better life. Barrios in particular was hopeful being here would allow her daughter, who has cerebral palsy and hydrocephalus, to get more specialized help.

"We came with the hope that my daughter would walk, that she'd have a better quality of life," said Barrios, now living with her daughter in Orem at the home of one of her husband's former coworkers.

With her husband's arrest last June after getting a traffic citation and subsequent deportation, though, she suddenly finds herself on particularly shaky ground. As if the immigration crackdown that ensnared her husband isn't enough, now she's facing challenges in her efforts to leave the United States behind and rejoin him, underscoring yet another complicated facet of the push to detain and deport immigrants in the country illegally.

He was the breadwinner, working in demolition, and the insurance he secured through work allowed Danna to get the care she needed. Without him here, the family no longer has insurance, and Barrios has no family here who could care for the girl, thus allowing her to seek work. Yet both she and the girl lack passports, and they haven't been able to secure help in getting to Venezuela through the CBP Home program, the Department of Homeland Security initiative designed to aid immigrants wanting to leave but not via deportation.

"The CBP Home program lets eligible aliens return home as regular travelers — without arrest, detention or restraints. It's a safe, orderly alternative that provides assistance and flexibility, not fear," reads the DHS website about the program.

Meantime, a federal deadline looms. An earlier order from immigration authorities requires Barrios and her daughter to leave the country by Wednesday lest she face forced deportation. Forced deportation, though, would likely entail detention, a prospect that worries Barrios, particularly because of her daughter's medical condition.

'I want to return'

Barrios said she filled out the initial paperwork federal immigration authorities require to take part in CBP Home and received initial confirmation but hasn't heard any followup. Now she's put out a public plea for financial help and legal assistance, tapping Utahzolanos, a social media operation geared to Utah's Venezuelan community. She also needs help in shipping her daughter's specialized food and medication to Venezuela.

"I don't want to stay here. I want to return to my country because we're alone here. The only support we had was my husband," she told Utahzolanos.

Similarly, her husband, she says, is content in Venezuela.

"He says he prefers to be there than here and in jail because (jail) is horrible," she told KLS.

Barrios and her husband left Venezuela in 2016, living in Colombia and Peru before heading to the United States. Here in Utah, drawn by family members of her husband's, who have since gone, life was good.

"We were doing well here… My baby was getting therapy. Everything was under control with her," she said.

She's not totally sure about the circumstances of her husband's deportation, but given all the stress and complications, she's ready to join him. Federal officials didn't immediately respond to a query on Monday seeking comment.

Online court records show Barrios' husband faced several charges after he was pulled over on May 10, 2025, in Orem. Those charges include two counts of possession of fake documents, a third-degree felony, and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, a class A misdemeanor. The fake documents allegedly included a Social Security card and legal permanent resident card.

That case has not yet been resolved, according to online records. As it wound its way through court, though, he was charged in Orem Justice Court for allegedly driving on a suspended or revoked license, a class C misdemeanor, on June 24. That, his wife says, precipitated his deportation in August.

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