He spent 17 months chasing the American dream, only for ICE to annihilate his life. But what he still desperately begs the US government to do next will absolutely shock you

The ultimate irony of the American Dream is that the man who had his life annihilated by U.S. immigration authorities still desperately wants the United States to intervene and “finish the regime off” in his home country. That man is Dario, a Venezuelan migrant who spent 17 months building a life in the U.S. before ICE detained and deported him in July 2025.

Dario, who requested that his last name not be used due to his legal status in Panama, was wiring light fixtures at Florida State University when his world collapsed. According to The Hill, he had just gone home to his apartment to retrieve his passport for a bank visit. “When I got to the parking lot, they grabbed me and sent me to Venezuela,” he explained.

In an instant, everything he had worked for was gone. Dario was detained for about 20 days in shelters, recalling only the sleepless nights and the harsh fluorescent lights before he was expelled. This is pretty much in line with some of the recent mass deportations that affected innocent migrants.

That is a brutal reality after spending nearly a year and a half contributing to the U.S. economy

For those 17 months, Dario had been busy. After crossing into the U.S. illegally in 2024, he contacted friends who helped him find steady work. He wired buildings for his company across Texas, North Carolina, Virginia, and Florida. He wasn’t just working for himself, though. His main goal was to earn enough money to repair his mother’s home in Guárico, Venezuela, and finally plant the Persian lime trees he had long dreamed of cultivating.

His initial crossing in 2023 took him through the infamous Darién Gap, the roadless, 100-kilometer stretch of jungle and swamp between Colombia and Panama. It’s known as the world’s most dangerous migrant route, a place rife with treacherous rivers, deadly wildlife, and armed gangs. Dario remembers traveling in a group of 3,600 people during that first attempt, witnessing a Cuban woman drown.

In Panama, he met his fiancée, the granddaughter of one of the market vendors. “We got to know each other, started going out,” Dario said. He stayed a year and a half, building a stable life. But ambition pulled him north in 2024, leading to the 17 months of work that ended abruptly with his deportation in July 2025.

Back in Venezuela, Dario lasted only a month. He sold what little he had and started walking again. This time, the second crossing of the Darién Gap in August 2025 was for love, not work. Unfortunately, the second journey was just as dangerous as the first. “The second time, they robbed us,” he stated. “They stole my phone, my ID card and about $300 I was carrying.”

He lost much more than that during the whole ordeal. He is still trying to replace the documents lost during his detention. Authorities took his valid passport, which they never returned. He also lost his phone and a gold chain he had bought while working in the States.

Despite the chaos and the loss he suffered at the hands of U.S. authorities, Dario still looks to the U.S. as a source of order. He describes his home country as “truly chaotic.” He laments that there’s no education, no money, and no work there. That’s why his desperate request is so shocking: “I would like, honestly, if the U.S. goes in and finishes the regime off.” We know that the U.S. government has been pushing for regime change in Venezuela, so he’s got that going for him.