Delivery driver ‘disappears’ from US after taking wrong turn while delivering McDonald's

Taking the wrong turn while out on the roads can be a frustrating mistake if it significantly adds to your journey – which it often does.

But one delivery driver found it cost him more than time when he went the wrong way on a recent job.

Ricardo Prada Vásquez, a Venezuelan immigrant, was working a delivery job in Detroit, Michigan, when he picked up a McDonald’s order.

On his way to the customer's address, he accidentally turned onto the Ambassador Bridge, which lies above the Detroit River and connects the city with... Windsor, Canada.

As he attempted to re-enter the US, he was taken into custody by officials, before being placed in detention. Prada went on to tell friends he was among a number of detainees being held in Texas due to be repatriated.

However, he has not been seen or heard from since, with confusion growing after his name was not featured on a leaked list of 238 people deported to a prison in El Salvador as the Trump administration flew three planes carrying Venezuelan nationals out of Texas.

Yesterday, his story made global headlines after it was reported in The New York Times, with Javier, a friend of his in Chicago telling the outlet: “He has simply disappeared."

Prada’s brother, Hugo - who is living in Venezuela – has also been in the dark.

“We know nothing, nothing,” he said.

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, described the story as a ‘bone-chilling account’, writing on X: “He's just... gone.

“ICE appears to have disappeared Ricardo Prada Vásquez. They admit he was deported, but won't say where.

“All signs suggest he was sent to El Salvador, but his name does not appear on the list of Venezuelans deported there and he wasn't spotted in video.”

He added: “There is something terrifying about this. The only thing ICE will say is that the man was deported. But for all intents and purposes, it's like he's fallen off the face of the planet or dropped into some black hole.

“This isn't how a government interested in rule of law acts.”

After the story picked up traction around the world, the US’ Department of Homeland Security issued a statement, claiming it knows where Prada is.

Arguing that reports Prada had disappeared were ‘false’, it said: “Ricardo Jesus Prada Vasquez is a Venezuelan national and confirmed member of [Venezuelan gang] Tren de Aragua, entered the United States on Nov. 29, 2024 at the Brownsville, Texas Port of Entry via a CBP One app appointment. Prada was paroled into the US and served with a notice to appear before an immigration judge.

“On Jan. 15, Prada was encountered at the Detroit Windsor Tunnel in Detroit, Michigan attempting to enter the U.S. from Canada and was referred to secondary inspection.

“Further investigation resulted in Prada being designated a public safety threat as a confirmed member of TdA and in violation of his conditions of admission. Prada was apprehended and transferred to ICE Michigan for detention.

“On Feb. 27, an immigration judge ordered Prada removed from the U.S. On March 15, Prada was removed to El Salvador.”

In a statement to The Independent, Azadeh Erfani, National Immigrant Justice Center director of policy, said there had been ‘confirmation’ that Prada was ‘one of many Venezuelans who are being held, at U.S. taxpayer expense, in horrific conditions in a foreign country and with no contact to the outside world'.

“The Trump administration bears full responsibility for Mr. Prada Vázquez’s wellbeing,” she said.

“Mr. Prada Vásquez’s story is only the latest sign that we are living in an environment of mounting authoritarianism, under an administration that is trampling basic principles of fairness and humanity.

“Now that we know Mr. Prada Vásquez’s location, we call on the Trump administration to confirm his wellbeing and return him to the United States to ensure he has access to proper due process.”

When The Trump administration transferred people to El Salvador in three planes, it was claimed that the men were members of Tren de Aragua.

However, a Times investigation earlier this month found 'little evidence of any criminal history - or any association with the gang - for most of the men'.

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told LADbible Group in a statement:“Ricardo Jesus Prada Vasquez is a Venezuelan national and confirmed member of Tren de Aragua, entered the United States on Nov. 29, 2024, at the Brownsville, Texas Port of Entry via a CBP One app appointment. Prada was paroled into the US and served with a notice to appear before an immigration judge.

"On Jan. 15, Prada was encountered at the Detroit Windsor Tunnel in Detroit, Michigan attempting to enter the U.S. from Canada and was referred to secondary inspection. Further investigation resulted in Prada being designated a public safety threat as a confirmed member of TdA and in violation of his conditions of admission. Prada was apprehended and transferred to ICE Michigan for detention. On Feb. 27, an immigration judge ordered Prada removed from the U.S.

"On March 15, Prada was removed to El Salvador.”