Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker never met the lawyer who is representing him in U.S They haven’t spoken by phone or texted or communicated through an intermediary He almost certainly isn’t aware that he’s being represented at all a month after he entered Salvadoran custody an immigration judge in Southern California held a hearing on his asylum case Escobar Blanco wasn’t in attendance—no one has seen or heard from him since he was sent to El Salvador—and the judge Judges regularly issue deportation orders in absentia for people who are on what’s called the non-detained docket These individuals have already been released from detention on the condition that they later appear in immigration court if a person is in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement he cannot possibly show up for a court date unless the government lets him The judge’s logic—penalizing him for not being there—made little sense It also meant that he would be barred from entering the U.S “His ‘failure to appear’ was through no fault of his own but rather through ICE’s failure to produce him.” The government had deported Escobar Blanco on the basis of a proclamation that Donald Trump had signed in secret Escobar Blanco was accused of belonging to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua it didn’t need to present the actual evidence against him Sarkis could only surmise that the allegations were related to his tattoos which included a nautical star on each shoulder and the names of his parents and his two children The majority of the Venezuelans sent to El Salvador had pending cases in U.S lawyers across the country have mobilized to represent as many of them as possible The work mainly consisted of showing up to hearings in their place and explaining to judges where their clients are the Trump Administration has refused to share the names of the men it has sent to El Salvador which is the result of reporting by CBS news and whose accuracy the government still won’t confirm “Ghosts” is how one attorney involved in the advocacy effort described her clients Escobar Blanco is considered lucky: a lawyer was at least available to appear on his behalf in immigration court (many of the men lack even that) and the judge issued an order that can theoretically be challenged (other outcomes can be harder to contest) who in six years of practicing law has never before represented a client with whom she couldn’t speak took on Escobar Blanco’s case two days before the hearing scheduling an appointment with border authorities this led him to wait in Mexico for ten months before he was finally interviewed He seems to have been apprehended in a worksite raid near San Diego last October; it isn’t fully clear why he wouldn’t have had work papers at the time “What’s so shocking to me is that I’m seeing no criminal history no affiliation with any criminal organization,” Sarkis said At the center of the initiative to organize legal representation for the Venezuelans is Michelle Brané, an attorney and longtime immigrants’-rights advocate who helped lead the effort to locate the families separated at the border during the first Trump Administration When Joe Biden entered the White House and promised to reunite them Brané joined the Department of Homeland Security as the executive director of the Family Reunification Task Force a nonprofit that describes its mission as providing “emergency and ongoing support to asylum seeking families impacted by federal immigration policies.” In February, before the Alien Enemies Act went into effect, Brané and her colleagues were trying to identify a group of nearly two hundred Venezuelans whom the Trump Administration had sent to Guantánamo Bay as criminals and threats to public security and held many of them in the same units once reserved for alleged Al Qaeda terrorists who’d begun hearing from the detainees’ family members connected them to litigators at the American Civil Liberties Union posted videos of them being marched into a notoriously brutal Salvadoran prison called the Terrorism Confinement Center “The calls came in immediately,” Brané told me “The first few cases were primarily people who saw a video and said ‘My brother or my son was in there.’ Then we started to hear from people who hadn’t seen their family member in a video Escobar Blanco’s wife, children, and sister fell into the latter camp: none of them had spotted him in any of the footage. His sister Mariela, who lives in Venezuela, told me that she and Escobar Blanco had spoken nearly every day since he left for the U.S. The only time they lost touch had been when he was travelling through the Darién Gap a treacherous stretch of jungle between Colombia and Panama One night in early March she received a call from him He’d just been transferred from California to Texas and he told her that the government was planning to deport him and a group of other men to Venezuela because “they were related to the Tren de Aragua gang.” He and his sister are from the state of La Guaira “We didn’t have the remotest idea of who these people really were,” she told me she stopped hearing from her brother altogether a friend that Escobar Blanco had made while in custody called her with an update The detainees were about to board a plane at the airport—bound for Venezuela they were told—when ICE officers led them back to the detention center because of bad weather “He’s still in line because they have to re-register us to bring us back inside,” the friend told her and the rumors began about the flights to El Salvador my brother has to be there because where else is he “It’s about showing they don’t have to play the game.” Brané and the other advocates at her organization began building out detailed profiles of about fifty names on their list They obtained copies of the men’s Venezuelan I.D.s coördinated with gang experts and investigative journalists where some of the men had lived or travelled before reaching the U.S The advocates kept spreadsheets with basic information about each individual and the date and time of any upcoming court hearing The idea was to try to keep cases open for as long as possible the lawyers were frequently stunned by how government attorneys described the whereabouts of the men in question she said only that Laya Freites had been released to “local authorities.” Sherman told me said three times that he was in local-law-enforcement custody Margaret Cargioli, of the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, was representing Miguel Rojas-Mendoza, who had Temporary Protected Status when he was deported to El Salvador His mother told me that she had called him after Trump won the election last year I have T.P.S.” Local police records from January and February indicate that he had been arrested for driving with an expired license plate and without a proper license another box popped up on her computer screen showing a room at the Winn Correctional Center where Rojas-Mendoza had been held before his transfer to Texas He was holding a piece of paper.” For a fleeting moment Cargioli thought the advocates might have made a mistake; her new client appeared to be in the U.S This is the wrong person.” The screen in Louisiana clicked off “I don’t have any information,” the lawyer replied in the days after the first three planes of deportees left for El Salvador some government lawyers didn’t know where the men in their cases were ICE has a detainee locator that shows only where someone is being held in the U.S.; once that person is deported he no longer appears in the system After news organizations such as CBS started publishing lists of names the government appeared to take a more deliberate stance lawyers were using a “canned” phrase about the men “not being here” and asking to hold cases “in abeyance.” They rarely elaborated or departed from the script government lawyers may have developed a new strategy—to persuade judges to dismiss cases a staff attorney at the National Immigration Project attorney is saying either ‘We no longer want to pursue this case for deportation and we’re exercising our prosecutorial discretion to withdraw the charges here’ or ‘We request dismissal of the case because the immigrant is no longer in the United States,’ which is ridiculous because ICE disappeared the person.” In the case of a removal order there is a legal path within the immigration system to file a motion to reopen the case Dismissals essentially remove cases from the immigration courts “it’s unlikely the current immigration appellate body would review that decision fairly.” Without a removal order “a federal court of appeals is unlikely to have jurisdiction.” the Supreme Court delivered a mild rebuke to the President Those who were charged as “alien enemies,” the Justices found still had to be notified before they were deported But the Justices didn’t specify what such a notice was supposed to include after a federal judge in the southern district of Texas issued a temporary restraining order against the government preventing it from deporting more Venezuelans under the Alien Enemies Act the Administration moved one group of detainees to a facility in the northern district of Texas ICE then distributed notices to them in English hours before trying to take them to an airport The notices provided no information about what the prisoners could do to see or to dispute the evidence against them At this point, the Supreme Court intervened to halt the deportations. By then, some three hundred people had already been sent to El Salvador, including seventeen more men deported on March 30th, ten others deported in mid-April, and a Salvadoran father of three named Kilmar Abrego Garcia His case prompted a separate lawsuit that also reached the Supreme Court; in a nine-to-zero decision the Justices ordered the Administration to “facilitate” his return to the U.S The Supreme Court never addressed what the men sent to El Salvador in March can do now has recently filed another brief in federal court cites the Supreme Court’s instruction from the Abrego García case “Family members of those in [El Salvador] maintain that they have no connection at all to TdA,” the lawyers wrote “These errors are particularly devastating because many class members came to the United States precisely because of arbitrary arrests and detentions by their government and have strong claims for relief under our immigration laws.” long before her brother’s sudden deportation to El Salvador he couldn’t understand why the ICE officers who arrived at his worksite acted as if they were staging a Special Forces operation “I thought it was a prank,” he told her at the time “They arrived like they were looking for some criminal who was highly dangerous It almost seemed like a candid camera would pop out.” One day “I’m just going to tell them to deport me because I can’t be a prisoner any longer I’m not doing anything for my children or for you One hundred days of ineptitude An unprecedented economic fiasco A life-changing scientific study ended by the Trump Administration The bureaucratic nightmares of being trans under Trump Will the Trump tariffs devastate the whiskey industry Cover Story: a beacon extinguished Sign up for our daily newsletter to receive the best stories from The New Yorker. Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, meets with President Nayib Bukele at his residence at Lake Coatepeque, El Salvador, Feb. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File) WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration will pay El Salvador $6 million to imprison for one year about 300 alleged members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang, in one of the first instances of the Central American country taking migrants from the United States. The agreement follows discussions between El Salvador’s President, Nayib Bukele, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio about housing migrants in El Salvador’s notorious prison. Bukele’s government has arrested more than 84,000 people, sometimes without due process, since 2022 as part of his crackdown on gang violence in the small country. It came as the American Civil Liberties Union and Democracy Forward preemptively sued Trump late Friday in federal court in Washington, D.C., saying five Venezuelan men being held at an immigration detention center in Raymondville, Texas, were at “imminent risk of removal” under the Alien Enemies Act. The agreement may have been put on hold, however. U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg on Saturday blocked anyone from being deported under Trump’s proclamation for two weeks and scheduled a Friday hearing to consider arguments. ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt said two flights Saturday may have carried people deported under Trump’s proclamation, one to El Salvador and one possibly to Honduras. Boasberg said any such flights would have to be returned midair to the United States. Memos detailing the transfer did not disclose how the Trump administration identified the roughly 300 people as members of Tren de Aragua, a gang Trump repeatedly highlighted in the campaign and declared to be a terrorist organization. “The Republic of El Salvador confirms it will house these individuals for one (1) year, pending the United States’ decision on their long term disposition,” wrote El Salvador’s ministry of foreign affairs in a memo obtained by The Associated Press. The Central American nation and Trump administration last month struck a deal to house migrants detained in the United States. The Trump administration contended that El Salvador could even house American citizens, though the U.S. cannot deport citizens to another country. Rubio and Bukele discussed the specifics of the new transfer, which include a cost of about $20,000 to house each prisoner for the year. A State Department document also suggests that it may set aside $15 million to send to El Salvador to house additional members of the gang. The Salvadoran memo also confirmed the country would take two men it said were members of the MS-13 gang, an organization that was initially comprised of Salvadoran migrants to the U.S. and had gained an increasing foothold in El Salvador prior to Bukele’s crackdown. One man, Cesar Eliseo Sorto Amaya, was convicted of double homicide in El Salvador before he was caught illegally entering the United States, according to the U.S. Justice Department. The other was charged under President Joe Biden’s administration with being a high-ranking leader of the MS-13 gang. Bukele’s government did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. The Tren de Aragua gang originated in a prison in the South American country and accompanied an exodus of millions of Venezuelans, the overwhelming majority of whom were seeking better living conditions after their nation’s economy came undone last decade. Trump and his allies have turned the gang into the face of the alleged threat posed by immigrants living in the U.S. illegally and formally designated it a “foreign terrorist organization” last month. Authorities in several countries have reported arrests of Tren de Aragua members, even as Venezuela’s government claims to have eliminated the criminal organization. The government of President Nicolás Maduro has not taken back immigrants deported from the U.S., except on a few occasions. Over the past few weeks, about 350 people were deported to Venezuela, including some 180 who spent up to 16 days at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Trump’s government has alleged Venezuelans sent to the naval base are Tren de Aragua members, but it has offered little evidence to back that up. On Saturday, the government’s centralized press office in Caracas did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the agreement between the U.S. and Salvadoran governments. Garcia Cano reported from Caracas, Venezuela. Associated Press writer Nicholas Riccardi in Denver contributed to this report. The Department of Homeland Security declined to comment on the halted deportations.It was a reprieve for the group of Venezuelans detained at Bluebonnet who still face being potentially sent to CECOT the notorious maximum security prison in El Salvador where the Trump administration has sent at least 137 Venezuelans under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act if the Supreme Court lifts the block.The Bluebonnet facility is privately run by the Management and Training Corporation under a contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement it has held an average of 846 detainees a day in fiscal year 2025 Denied access to the Bluebonnet facility by ICE Reuters flew a small plane over the center last week as well as a drone nearby on April 28 to gather aerial images of the detainees being held there Some of the detainees photographed by Reuters were wearing red jumpsuits designating them as high-risk An aerial view shows Diover Millan of Venezuela and other detainees at the Bluebonnet Detention Facility REUTERS/Daniel ColeReuters photographed Diover Millan as he walked with four other men in the detention center’s yard Reuters identified three others by showing their photos to family members Millan was moved to Bluebonnet in mid-April from the Stewart detention center in Lumpkin where he had been held since he was arrested by immigration agents in the Atlanta suburbs on March 12 according to a senior Department of Homeland Security official Reuters could not find a criminal record for Millan The DHS official said Millan was a "documented" member of Tren de Aragua but provided no evidence.19-year-old Jeferson Escalona Hernandez poses at his graduation from police training in Venezuela on May 8 Ibeth Hernandez/Handout via REUTERSThe DHS official said ICE detained Escalona in January 2025 after he was arrested by local Texas police for evading arrest in a vehicle He arrived at Bluebonnet after he was returned from the U.S migrant detention facility in Guantanamo Bay in February.The DHS official said Escalona was a "self-admitted" Tren de Aragua member but did not provide evidence of the claim.During a phone interview from Bluebonnet Escalona said he had no ties to Tren de Aragua or any gang authorities took his phone and he suspects they saw photos of him making hand gestures that he said were common in Venezuela."They're making false accusations about me," he said "I don't belong to any gang."Escalona said that he has asked to return voluntarily to Venezuela but was denied."I fear for my life here," he said "I want to go to Venezuela."Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans have come to the United States over the past few years fleeing economic collapse and what critics call an authoritarian crackdown under President Nicolas Maduro.Under the administration of former President Joe Biden many were given temporary humanitarian protections that the Trump administration is trying to revoke “HE IS DESPERATE”Since their aborted deportation he and some of the other Venezuelan men take turns sleeping so that they can alert family members if immigration officers come to deport them who asked not to be named for fear of being targeted by immigration officials he told her the men in the dorm refused to go out into the yard because they were worried they would be put on another bus and sent to El Salvador Item 1 of 5 A drone view shows detainees in the yard at the Bluebonnet Detention Facility REUTERS/Mike Blake[1/5]A drone view shows detainees in the yard at the Bluebonnet Detention Facility REUTERS/Mike Blake“He is desperate,” Millan’s wife said “He told me that when he walked out onto the field he sat down and looked at the sky and asked God to get him out of there soon.”In one recent video call Millan told his wife that they haven't been given much food and he tries to sleep more so that he is not so hungry something that other detainees' relatives echoed.A spokesperson for Management and Training Corporation said "all detainees housed at Bluebonnet receive meals based on a menu that has been approved by a certified dietitian ensuring the recommended daily caloric intake is met."In a statement DHS said it "uses multiple strategies to manage capacity while maintaining compliance with federal standards and our commitment to humane treatment." If I don’t have a criminal record in the three countries in which I have lived in how are they going to send me to El Salvador Sign up here. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab ShareXFacebookLinkedinEmailLink Kristina CookeThomson Reuters Kristina Cooke is an investigative reporter with Reuters focused on immigration and criminal justice. She and colleagues were Pulitzer Prize finalists for a series on migrant child labor in 2023. Her work has received several journalism awards, including a George Polk award, a National Headliner award and an Overseas Press Club award. Originally from Germany, she joined Reuters in London in 2005, and is now based in San Francisco. Ted HessonThomson Reuters , opens new tab Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. , opens new tabScreen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. © 2025 Reuters. All rights reserved El Salvador (AP) — Four House Democrats have traveled to El Salvador to call attention to the plight of a man the Trump administration deported to a Salvadoran prison and has refused to help return — even after the Supreme Court ruled that it was the government’s duty to do so Maxwell Frost of Florida and Robert Garcia of California arrived Sunday in the Central American nation to investigate the condition of Kilmar Abrego Garcia who had lived in the United States for more than a decade a move that administration officials have said in court filings was done in error WATCH: Sen. Van Hollen holds briefing after meeting with Abrego Garcia in El Salvador But despite a Supreme Court ruling that ordered the Trump administration to help facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return the administration has said it has no power to bring him back a position being scrutinized by federal courts as potentially in violation of judicial rulings In a news conference Monday in El Salvador’s capital the Democratic representatives and Abrego Garcia’s lawyer said they were in El Salvador “demanding his safe return home.” The group said they hoped to continue to pressure authorities for his release and that their petition to meet with Abrego Garcia was denied “Part of what the Trump administration does is they do so much that they try to make sure people forget — forget about them breaking the law forget about them completely ignoring the Supreme Court,” Frost said “We’re not going to be the last members of Congress and senators that are here to make sure that he’s released and that our country is following our laws.” The quartet’s trip comes after Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland traveled to El Salvador last week and met with Abrego Garcia and Salvadoran officials Abrego Garcia lived in Maryland with his wife and three children Abrego Garcia’s protected legal status prohibited him from being deported to El Salvador He was deported on one of three planes filled with migrants accused of being gang members Frost said the four representatives were in El Salvador to “build off the work” of Van Hollen and that they were inquiring about where Abrego Garcia was being held and under what conditions added that his primary concerns was Abrego Garcia’s access to counsel Abrego Garcia’s whereabouts since the staged photo op on Thursday with Senator Van Hollen,” Newman said “We demand to immediately know where he is and to have access to him.” The White House press office issued a statement Monday that said the past week “has shown Americans everything they need to know about Democrats’ priorities.” The White House accused the representatives of “picking up their party’s mantle of prioritizing a deported illegal immigrant MS-13 gang member over the Americans they represent.” Garcia said he and Frost sent a letter last week to House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer requesting that an official delegation go to El Salvador to investigate Abrego Garcia’s condition and push for his return Ansari said more Democrats would be traveling to El Salvador in the coming days and weeks Justice Department lawyers said in court last week that they have no power to advance Abrego Garcia’s return because he is in a foreign country’s custody Administration officials also claimed in public comments that Abrego Garcia was engaged in human trafficking and terrorism and therefore correctly deported White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said that if Abrego Garcia were to return to the U.S. “he would immediately be deported again.” Van Hollen unsuccessfully lobbied the Salvadoran government for Abrego Garcia’s return He told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that the United States is facing a constitutional crisis if the Trump administration does not follow the Supreme Court’s order to push to bring Abrego Garcia back It’s a warning Democrats are increasingly amplifying Rather than debate President Donald Trump’s hard-line immigration policy or the merits of the administration’s invocation of national security to carry out deportations Democratic lawmakers are zeroing in on the issue of due process with some noting that the Supreme Court and lower court federal judges found Abrego Garcia was deported without a proper hearing Ansari said she finds it “extremely alarming” that Trump officials seem to have no regard for due process “Even with all of the illegal actions we’ve seen over the last couple of months I think this is the one that terrifies me the most when it comes to the future of our democracy,” she said in an interview Similar concerns were echoed by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor who wrote in the court’s ruling in Abrego Garcia’s case: “The government’s argument implies that it could deport and incarcerate any person so long as it does so before a court can intervene.” Several House Republicans have visited El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center, the prison where Abergo Garcia is being held and lauded the facility for what they view as El Salvador’s tough-on-crime policies Republican senators and governors have defended Abrego Garcia’s detention as part of a broader crackdown on illegal immigration But at least one Republican senator called his deportation a mistake READ MORE: El Salvadoran President Bukele proposes prisoner swap with Maduro for Venezuelan deportees “The administration won’t admit it on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” During a meeting with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele in the Oval Office Trump remarked that “homegrown” lawbreakers should be deported to prisons in the Central American country and urged Bukele to “build about five more places” like the notorious penitentiary where Abrego Garcia is being held Congressional Republicans have so far shown little interest in negotiating the dispute between the president and the judiciary who are in the minority in both chambers of Congress have little leverage to pressure the White House But Abrego Garcia’s case has become both an alarming and galvanizing case inside the party Democrats “have the power to draw attention to this issue to keep the pressure up,” Ansari said “That’s why you know some of us are going Because this is about the future of our democracy and the future of due process as American citizens.” Associated Press reporter Megan Janetsky contributed to this report from Mexico City © 1996 - 2025 NewsHour Productions LLC PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization Subscribe to Here's the Deal with Lisa Desjardins El Salvador ― The tiny neighborhood of Los Nogales with its pinkish-red bougainvilleas and a small knot of streets rising above El Salvador’s capital seems cut off from the sprawling city below a cul-de-sac at the heart of the neighborhood Neighbors walk a few steps to makeshift tiendas nestled inside front rooms behind plastic sheeting This is the street where Kilmar Abrego Garcia spent his early years He was a teenager when he left to build a new life in a new country. He’s 29 now and back in El Salvador, this time in prison, a father of three caught in a standoff among President Donald Trump some members of Congress and the Salvadoran government Abrego Garcia’s deportation – and the Trump administration’s refusal to return him to the United States, even though it admits he was sent back to El Salvador by mistake – has made him the most high-profile target of Trump’s campaign to expel millions of migrants who entered the United States illegally The Justice Department insists Abrego Garcia is a member of a dangerous criminal gang who had lived in Maryland for years before he was deported The small terrace house he lived in with his parents and two siblings is still standing referred to affectionately as “Cece” by old friends made pupusas there with the help of her three young children every Friday Saturday and Sunday and sold them to neighbors who is in her 30s and lives just two doors down proudly showed off photos of Abrego Garcia his sister and his older brother Cesar attending a birthday party in her home At the time, San Salvador was the domain of violent gangs. Two rival gangs, MS-13 and Barrio 18, or the 18th Street gang, fought over turf block by block, running the Central American country’s murder rate in 2012 up among the highest in the world at 41 per 100,000 people, according to the United Nations “There was never trouble with gangs here,” said a man who would only give his name as Jorge “I’ve lived here for 20 years and never had a problem.” Jorge’s sentiments were echoed by almost a dozen of Abrego Garcia’s close neighbors friends and neighborhood acquaintances interviewed by USA TODAY The paper is identifying Jorge and other locals only by their first names because they fear reprisals from El Salvador’s increasingly authoritarian government Members of Abrego Garcia’s family denied multiple USA TODAY interview requests to speak about his early years in El Salvador and his home life a five-minute walk to the calle principal would land him in gang territory Los Nogales was surrounded on all sides by “troubled” neighborhoods where bandidos run rampant The burgeoning pupuseria business run by Cece They demanded monthly protection money from the family and threatened to enlist Abrego Garcia in the gang as payment or even to stalk according to court records entered by his attorneys A short distance from where Cece once rolled out her pupusas sits the local watering hole beer-swilling revelers crowded inside and listened to rancheras and watched fútbol Waiters carried plates of seafood and fried potatoes from the kitchen to the simple wooden tables Patrons covered the mouths of their beer bottles with paper napkins against the flies buzzing around gangsters from the surrounding barrios historically swarmed around local businesses that made money in Los Nogales – even if they’re tucked away and shut behind metal bars and barbed wire Insects and extortionists always find their way in The bar’s previous owners had to sell because the payments to Barrio 18 were too burdensome His wife pointed to where a cluster of popular restaurants once sat closed because of financial pressure from the bandidos Whether Abrego Garcia’s family was the victim of Barrio 18 But they did know the family had fallen on hard times that’s why they had to sell up and leave,” Fredy said Cece long planned for her sons to leave El Salvador and the dangers lurking there He entered the United States illegally near McAllen Home Depot is where homeowners shop for supplies for do-it-yourself repairs and where construction crews come for materials It’s also where migrants look for day jobs Groups of men from Latin American countries wait in the parking lot Some help customers carry supplies in exchange for a cash tip or A woman sells tamales out of the back of a van while a small boy plays in the back It was here that Abrego Garcia’s new life started to unravel An 'administrative error': A Maryland dad was sent to El Salvador prison by mistake. Can his community get him back? Abrego Garcia met the woman who would become his wife “It would amaze him that no matter what life put me through I would face it,” she said in a phone interview with USA TODAY in early April Vasquez Sura had two children from a previous relationship a daughter who has epilepsy and a son with autism The girl wanted to be a makeup artist and her brother Abrego Garcia raised the two children as his own filed a custody claim against Vasquez Sura in 2018 allegeding she lived with a gang member The document circulated as more evidence of Abrego Garcia’s MS-13 affiliation Ramos was charged and convicted of second-degree rape and remains incarcerated in Maryland Abrego Garcia found work as an HVAC installer and was a member of CASA a nonprofit that operates day worker centers in Maryland The couple learned they were expecting a son until police spotted him in the Home Depot parking lot Abrego Garcia drove to the Hyattsville store on East-West Highway his wife would later say in court documents and Prince George’s County police say he was loitering He was standing in the parking lot with three other men Abrego Garcia was taken in for questioning had an extensive rap sheet that included assault He was known to Hyattsville police as an MS-13 gang member Prince George’s police detective Ivan Mendez suspected Abrego Garcia was also part of the gang based on three things: Abrego Garcia was sporting a Chicago Bulls hat which authorities say is worn by active MS-13 members which authorities also said was associated with or consistent with an MS-13 slogan And a confidential informant had identified him as a member of MS-13 Abrego Garcia denied he was a member of MS-13 or any gang the police detective’s credibility would come under scrutiny The force accused him of sharing confidential information about an ongoing investigation with a sex worker He was later fired and placed on the county district attorney’s do-not-call list of unreliable sources say records of their encounter with Abrego Garcia made no connection to MS-13 Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were called in because police suspected Abrego Garcia was an undocumented immigrant He was assigned an Alien Registration Number The federal government could now keep tabs on him Based on the conclusions of the now-disgraced Prince George’s detective ICE wrote in Abrego Garcia’s file: “Subject has been identified as a Member/Active of M.S.13.” At a hearing before an immigration judge that April Abrego Garcia denied that he was a gang member insisting he wasn’t a risk to the community citing the gang report filed by Mendez and the tip from the confidential informant Abrego Garcia and a seven-months-pregnant Vasquez Sura married at the Howard Detention Center in Jessup is intellectually disabled with a speech disorder and has been diagnosed with autism Abrego Garcia asked the courts for a protective order preventing his deportation to El Salvador Abrego Garcia could still be expelled from the United States – he just couldn’t be returned to El Salvador Abrego Garcia was released from custody after six months in detention but was required to check in with ICE yearly No 'Maryland father': What to know on White House allegations against Kilmar Abrego Garcia A house in suburbiaThe tree-lined street where Abrego Gracia and his growing family settled sits in a quiet neighborhood Pink and white blossoms fall from branches and decorate the front lawns of small Near the bottom of a slight hill is the white-brick house that Abrego-Garcia called home A child’s scooter and a toy lawn mower rest on the grassy lawn is where Abrego Garcia was living the American dream He’d found work as a union sheet metal apprentice He took worker safety training and classes at the University of Maryland He was in the first year of a five-year apprenticeship and working toward a union “pink card” that would mean higher pay and benefits political director for the sheet metal workers Maryland-based Local 100 Abrego Garcia had grown “more reserved” after his release from detention and now had “a sadness” about him that his wife hadn’t seen prior to his time in ICE custody Vasquez Sura petitioned a court for a domestic protection order against her husband resulted in police responding to their home after he slapped and threatened her “Like at 3:00 in the morning, he would just wake up and, like, hit me,” she told a judge in a recording obtained by USA TODAY “he slapped me three times…then last week my sister called the police because he hit me in front of my sister.” Vasquez Sura petitioned for a protection order a second time ripped off her shirt and grabbed and bruised her according to Prince George’s County records Vasquez Sura said in a statement to USA TODAY that neither she nor her husband was in a good place when she filed for the protective orders “My husband was traumatized from the time he spent in ICE detention and we were in the throes of COVID,” she said we were caring for our children with barely enough to get by All of those factors contributed to the actions which caused me to seek the protective order.” she also told USA TODAY she sought the 2021 order out of precaution because she had experienced domestic violence in a past relationship Abrego Garcia was working at a job site in Baltimore installing HVAC ducts on a new University of Maryland hospital building He finished his shift on Wednesday afternoon and then picked up his 5-year-old at the home of Cece who had followed her sons to the United States Abrego Garcia was on his way home when he phoned his wife to say he was being pulled over for what he thought was a routine traffic stop Timeline: How an error led to the deportation of a legal resident of US to El Salvador Abrego Garcia wasn’t confident speaking English so Vasquez Sura told him to put her on speakerphone while he talked with the officers She could overhear the conversation as an agent told her husband to turn off the car and get out that his son with special needs was in the back seat Vasquez Sura heard the officer take his phone and hang up.Minutes later The caller gave her 10 minutes to get to the scene and pick up her son or child protective services would be contacted Abrego Garcia was on the curb and in handcuffs “I told him he would come back home,” Vasquez Sura said sent to Baltimore and transferred to a Texas detention center None of them had any idea where they were going despite the protective order barring Abrego Garcia’s return to his homeland he and others expelled by the Trump administration were placed in the Terrorism Confinement Center a notorious prison criticized for its harsh and dangerous conditions and its rough treatment of prisoners Vasquez Sura and their 5-year-old sued the federal government demanding that Abrego Garcia be returned home government attorneys admitted in court records that he had been deported by mistake – an “administrative error” was the official explanation – but said they had no authority to return him because he was now in a foreign country disagreed and ruled on April 4 that the Trump administration had committed an “illegal act” by deporting him the Supreme Court also demanded the administration start the process of bringing Abrego Garcia back to the United States Trump called Abrego Garcia a foreign terrorist A White House spokesman labeled him a “wife beater,” citing Vasquez Sura’s four-year-old request for a temporary protective order The administration released records from a traffic stop in an effort to back up its claims The Tennessee Highway Patrol had pulled Abrego Garcia over on Interstate 40 in December 2022 He was driving with eight passengers and no luggage Local authorities suspected he was smuggling people north from Texas to Maryland But the state police officer who pulled him over released him without charges or even writing a ticket Abrego Garcia’s wife said in a statement that he worked in construction and sometimes transported groups of workers between job sites which could explain why there were others in the vehicle El Salvador’s CECOT prison is a rambling complex spread across 57 acres southeast of San Salvador the maximum-security facility is surrounded by two sets of walls Abrego Garcia had last been seen frog-walking through the prison Vasquez Sura, his wife, spotted him in news photos. She recognized the two scars on his now-shaved head and the tattoos on his knuckles. From the Oval Office, Trump has shown reporters a photo of the tattoos as proof that Abrego Garcia is a gang member it had been a month since he was last sighted Questions about Abrego Garcia’s location and status – including those ordered by the federal judge overseeing the case – remained unanswered Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen wanted to know if his constituent was safe So he headed to the Central American country to check on Abrego Garcia himself The two-day trip had proved fruitless: Salvadoran Vice President Félix Ulloa had denied the senator’s request to enter CECOT. Van Hollen’s last-minute push to drive to the prison and demand a meeting was thwarted by a military checkpoint. Less than two miles away, armed military personnel pulled over his small convoy of vehicles “He is totally beyond reach,” Van Hollen said at the side of the road Van Hollen and his team headed back to their hotel they were to fly back to the United States The senator still didn’t know if Abrego Garcia was even breathing embassy: Would he be willing to meet with Abrego Garcia at his hotel that afternoon The Salvadoran government wanted the meeting to take place next to the pool in the hotel’s lush gardens Van Hollen said no and suggested the hotel restaurant instead Turned away: Van Hollen stopped at military checkpoint on way to Salvadoran prison Fans turned in the restaurant’s cream-colored ceiling Children played nearby as an afternoon breeze combed through the palm trees a plaid button-down shirt and a Kansas City Chiefs baseball cap The two men spoke alone for a few minutes, sipping coffee and water as Abrego Garcia told of his ordeal They sat in wicker chairs at a four-top wooden table set with white china 'Prayers have been answered': Sen. Chris Van Hollen meets with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man wrongly deported to El Salvador “He spoke of the trauma he had experienced and put on a plane with no way to see out of the windows,” Van Hollen told USA TODAY Abrego Garcia told the senator he had been placed into a cell with 25 people at CECOT He said he was fearful of the prisoners in other cells who called out to him But a few days earlier he had been moved out to a lower-security prison Van Hollen escorted Abrego Garcia to the front of the hotel lobby They walked over the highly polished marble tiles and past wooden furniture On the walls were framed photographs of visiting heads of state Van Hollen watched as officers whisked Abrego Garcia from the Sheraton Presidente Avenida de la Revolución was the last place he was seen National correspondent Will Carless anchored this story from El Salvador Eduardo Cuevas and Michael Collins reported from Maryland Investigations reporter and records expert Nick Penzenstadler dug through court documents and police reports Contributing: Cybele Mayes-Osterman in Washington and Julia Gavarrete in San Salvador Editing: Romina Ruiz-Goiriena and Doug Caruso The group of 20 human rights experts signed the statement demanding an end to the “unlawful” deportations A group of UN human rights experts has condemned the Trump administration’s disappearance of hundreds of men to El Salvador as a violation of both domestic and international law urging both countries’ governments to return the men to the U.S In a statement the experts say that the administration has denied due process to the over 250 Venezuelan and Salvadoran men deported to El Salvador while also running afoul of international principles prohibiting the deportation of people to a place where they may face torture or other inhumane treatment even the domestic law cited by Trump administration officials for the deportations does not allow for the deportations “There has plainly been no ‘invasion’ or ‘predatory incursion’ of the US by any foreign State Even if some individuals were gang members “The deportations were thus apparently illegal under US law and were arbitrary and unlawful expulsions under international law,” they went on The group points out that human rights experts have long raised alarm over people being denied due process in or abused in prisons in El Salvador to cooperate to return those deported to the U.S. because the detention of the men in El Salvador is seemingly arbitrary the detainees could be subject to yet more human rights abuses if they were then transferred to Venezuela “The lack of a clear legal status in El Salvador could further expose the deportees to indefinite and arbitrary detention in the country and put some Venezuelan detainees at risk of onward refoulement to Venezuela where they could face serious human rights violations including enforced disappearances,” the experts wrote The statement was signed by 20 UN human rights experts special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism Other signatories included the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances as well as the special rapporteurs on torture and cruel treatment and the independence of judges and lawyers The group also expressed concern that the administration has additionally taken steps to defy or attack judges in the U.S who oppose their policies or rule against them “We remind the authorities in El Salvador and the United States of America that the rights to freedom, a fair trial, asylum, legal defence and protection against torture and enforced disappearance are not privileges, but rather obligations that their governments must uphold at all times,” said Ana Piquer Americas director of Amnesty International we are witnessing a terrifying array of anti-democratic tactics to silence political opposition increase surveillance and expand authoritarian reach Truthout is appealing for your support as Trump and his sycophants crack down on political speech Nonprofits like Truthout could be caught in Trump’s crosshairs as he attacks dissenting groups with bad faith lawsuits and targeted harassment of journalists these attacks come at a time when independent journalism is most needed The right-wing corporate takeover of media has left reliable outlets few and far between with even fewer providing their work at no cost to the reader Who will be there to hold the fascists to account We ask for your support as we doggedly pursue justice through our reporting Truthout is funded overwhelmingly by readers like you Please make a tax-deductible one-time or monthly donation today Sharon Zhang is a news writer at Truthout covering politics, climate and labor. Before coming to Truthout, Sharon had written stories for Pacific Standard, The New Republic, and more. She has a master’s degree in environmental studies. She can be found on Twitter and Bluesky. As Trump and his sycophants work to silence political dissent, independent media is a key part of the resistance. Support our work by making a one-time or monthly donation to Truthout today. raising the prospect of a constitutional conflict.Reporting by Nelson Renteria; Writing by Brendan O'Boyle and Sarah Morland; Editing by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez ROME (OSV News) -- As the College of Cardinals gathers for general congregations ahead of the upcoming conclave Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chávez of El Salvador described a calm and fraternal atmosphere among the group -- one marked not by tension “We are getting to know the faces of the cardinals,” he said in a conversation with OSV News on May 3 just after leaving one of the daily meetings “You get to know those you didn’t know before retired auxiliary bishop of San Salvador and a close collaborator of St made history in 2017 when Pope Francis appointed him cardinal -- the first from El Salvador and the first to be named while serving as an auxiliary bishop he will not enter the Sistine Chapel to cast a vote in the conclave as church rules limit participation to those under 80 his thoughts on the general congregations reflect the spirit of the universal church -- especially the “church of the poor” dear to Pope Francis “There is no climate of conflict or tension “What God wants for the church and for the world is what each cardinal holds in his heart.” While speculation over potential successors to Pope Francis has dominated media headlines the cardinal noted that such discussions are largely absent from inside the Vatican walls “The names are in the press,” he said with a smile “We depend on the press to know who the candidates are because names are not something we really talk about in there -- perhaps only in small groups “Of course there is talk of continuity with the legacy of Francis,” Cardinal Rosa Chávez affirmed “This heritage is so wonderful -- who would want to lose it?” the prevailing desire among the electors is to choose a pope who will carry forward the mission that Pope Francis made so central: putting the poor at the heart of the church building peace and caring for “our common home.” there are different currents and opinions,” he said But the current that predominates is the one that wants to see this marvelous project continue.” The general congregations -- confidential gatherings in which all cardinals discuss the state of the church and the qualities needed in the next pope -- have been marked by widespread participation voices from the margins are often the most moving “It’s emotional to see cardinals from the peripheries raise their voice before the ‘great figures,’” he said In the midst of these weighty deliberations Cardinal Rosa Chávez offered a lighthearted metaphor that reveals both his peace of mind and the gravity of the moment “I’ve been falling asleep thinking about the Champions League final,” he joked “I woke up thinking about how close we are to knowing the ‘finalists,’” for the most important championship of European soccer The tournament is currently in its semifinals with the conclave’s opening day -- May 7 -- being the day when the two last games of this stage will be played is the European soccer equivalent of the Super Bowl the cardinal stressed God has his say in the general congregations “I don’t mean I’m not focused on what’s happening,” he underlined “but rather that there is a deep sense of calm There’s great trust that God will show us who should continue the work of Francis.” must address the modern world’s biggest challenges -- particularly how to evangelize in a digital culture “We’re often giving answers to questions that no longer exist,” he said “What must challenge us is how to respond through a coherent life Ines San Martin writes for OSV News from Rome Password reset instructions will be sent to your registered email address As a frequent reader of our website, you know how important America’s voice is in the conversation about the church and the world. We can't do it without you—America Media relies on generous support from our readers. Please visit our membership page to learn how you can invest in our work by subscribing to the magazine or making a donation If you’re already a subscriber or donor, thank you! If you login and register your print subscription number with your account, you’ll have unlimited access to the website. Please contact us at members@americamedia.org with any questions own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment View all partners Trump administration officials have repeatedly claimed that judges who order the administration to take action to bring deported Venezuelans back from the El Salvador prison where the U.S. sent them are meddling in the conduct of foreign policy “The foreign policy of the United States is conducted by President Donald J. Trump − not by a court − and no court in the United States has a right to conduct the foreign policy of the United States,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on April 14 A reporter on April 30 asked Rubio about whether he has been in touch with El Salvador regarding Abrego Garcia’s potential release from a maximum security prison there “Well I would never tell you that and you know who else I would never tell? A judge. Because the conduct of our foreign policy belongs to the president,” Rubio said Rubio made a similar point on April 14 “No court in the United States has a right to conduct the foreign policy of the United States The legal cases of Abrego Garcia and other noncitizens deported to El Salvador are far from simple. Chimène Keitner a scholar of international law and civil litigation answers a few key questions about the power that U.S judges actually have in these wrongful deportation cases Are these cases really about foreign policy or something else These wrongful deportation cases aren’t primarily about foreign policy despite what Trump officials have said − they’re about the protection of individual rights The Trump administration is arguing that courts cannot grant relief to individuals challenging their deportation and detention if those individuals are sent to another country and imprisoned there even a wrongfully detained and deported U.S In Reid v. Covert, a foundational case from 1957, the Supreme Court made clear that the government cannot deprive U.S citizens of due process by entering into an agreement with a foreign country Now, noncitizens are being detained in El Salvador under arrangements concluded between Rubio and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele in February 2025 So far, the relevant agreements have not been disclosed to Congress, arguably in violation of U.S. law. They also have not been disclosed to courts that have sought answers about relevant details What are other important elements to understand about these cases The Trump administration is arguing that a judge or the Supreme Court cannot order it to return noncitizens to the U.S. because detention operations in El Salvador detain and deport noncitizens to El Salvador and to pay for their incarceration there with U.S are not foreign policy decisions that cannot be reviewed by any judge governmental deprivations of the individual right to due process A U.S. court does not have power over the government of El Salvador. However, it can order the U.S. government to request an individual’s return. The Supreme Court has ordered the government to “facilitate” the return of Abrego Garcia The government has argued that “facilitate” in this context simply requires removing domestic U.S given that Abrego Garcia is being detained in El Salvador any effective remedy would require the U.S government to request his return under the detention agreement between the two countries Another federal judge made this clear in an April order requiring the government to make a “good faith request” to El Salvador to release a different wrongfully deported 20-year-old These actions cannot be shielded from judicial review on the grounds that they involve foreign policy Could the Trump administration legitimately claim that judges cannot rule on its foreign policy decisions The Constitution gives foreign affairs powers to both the executive and legislative branches decide cases that may affect foreign policy especially when individual rights are at stake Another country’s involvement in a case doesn’t prevent U.S Can these court orders to bring back wrongfully deported individuals be enforced Allegations that El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele made secret deals with criminal gangs have sparked controversy in the country also known as “Charli de IVU,” one of the leaders of the Barrio 18 gang claimed in an interview with El Faro newspaper that Bukele struck deals with gangs to further his political career the alleged agreement began during Bukele’s tenure as the mayor of San Salvador in 2014 and continued until he won the presidential election also known as “El Crook,” a leader of the MS-13 (Mara Salvatrucha) gang echoed similar claims in statements to El Faro Controversy had already arisen in the country when Cartagena was released shortly after being detained at a police checkpoint on April 21 Bukele’s administration has denied the accusations insisting that no secret agreements with gangs were ever made Bukele declared a state of emergency on March 27 more than 85,000 people have been arrested We’ve detected that JavaScript is disabled in this browser Please enable JavaScript or switch to a supported browser to continue using x.com You can see a list of supported browsers in our Help Center Help Center conducts his weekly news conference in the Capitol Visitor Center on Thursday Inc via Getty Images)[Note: This article has been updated to include a new response from the office of Hakeem Jeffries.]HOUSE MINORITY LEADER Hakeem Jeffries was asked Monday whether Democrats should continue to advocate for the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia and the other men wrongly shipped to El Salvador by making the trip to the country to put a spotlight on the issue “Our reaction is that Donald Trump has the lowest approval rating of any president in modern American history,” Jeffries responded But while Jeffries may be publicly agnostic on El Salvador trips like the one Reps. Robert Garcia, Yassamin Ansari, Maxwell Frost, and Maxine Dexter recently took privately he sees the trips as having run their course Two Democratic aides and a lawmaker who spoke to The Bulwark said that the minority leader has discouraged further excursions to the country even as pressure mounts within the party to turn up the heat on Trump for sending 238 men to a notorious prison system known for human rights abuses “They want to let the El Salvador stuff slow down,” a senior House staffer said Jeffries’s office initially declined to comment a spokesperson put out a statement calling it false said the item was “thinly sourced,” leaving out that their office did not initially push back when contacted prior to publication Stephenson noted that “Jeffries has repeatedly said House Democrats will never stop fighting for the release of Mr after the Supreme Court ruled that the White House had to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return Jeffries demanded that the order be “aggressively” and “immediately” enforced Abrego Garcia must be returned immediately before he is killed in one of the most dangerous prisons in the world Enough with the fake bravado,” Jeffries’s April 14 statement read Whether Jeffries believes having House Democrats physically go to El Salvador will help or hinder efforts to get Abrego Garcia back is not addressed either in Stephenson’s statement or his own comments following the Supreme Court decision The debate among Democrats over how aggressively they should engage the issue of mass deportations and the use of El Salvador’s prison specifically And Jeffries’s eagerness to sidestep it suggests that the party is far from a consensus While leadership may be more eager to talk about the economy other Democrats say that there is a moral obligation to spotlight cases like that of Abrego Garcia And they believe the politics are already turning in their favor Get 30 day free trial His office did not respond to a request for comment on whether the trip was still in the works The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) was also working on arranging a trip to El Salvador that would be led by the chair of the caucus One House Democrat said Espaillat’s trip was going to piggyback off Booker’s trip but it was contingent on being given access to Abrego Garcia “Adriano didn’t just want to do a trip like the other Democrats did,” the lawmaker said noting that the Democratic delegation was not given access to Abrego Garcia or any other detainees Never miss another Huddled Masses: Sign up for a free or paid Bulwark subscription to get it delivered to your inbox twice a week A spokesperson for the CHC told The Bulwark it has been in active conversations with El Salvador about a trip for weeks. Espaillat also attended Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s second inauguration last June “The Congressional Hispanic Caucus is working all avenues to ensure Kilmar Abrego Garcia rejoins his family and receives his constitutional right to due process,” said Espaillat Espaillat, like other Democrats, has focused on the Trump administration’s assault on due process in sending deportees to El Salvador without any hearings. It’s a line of attack that polls have shown resonates with Americans, as the president’s numbers dive sharply at the 100-day marker of his term Republicans primed the system for abuse and cruelty,” Espaillat said “and now the Trump administration is crossing every due-process line in the book But they did not rewrite the United States Constitution—due process is an inalienable right for anyone and everyone in the United States of America.” But some Democrats worry about the party growing overly consumed by the Abrego Garcia case If members in safe seats continue to flock to El Salvador it could give ammunition to Republicans to use against more vulnerable Democrats it gives fodder for the National Republican Campaign Committee to start using it against other Democrats,” a second House staffer said “They should understand that what they’re doing is going to be hurting us in the long run.” Share And he noted that his message goes beyond Abrego Garcia “Trump is taking a wrong turn on his mass deportation force and it’s going to make his position weaker.” But some Democrats also worry that Abrego Garcia has become a less-than-ideal poster child for opposition to Trump’s immigration policies after it was revealed that his wife sought a protective order against him. She recently said in a statement that she acted out of caution because she had suffered domestic violence in a previous relationship “This is not the right issue to talk about due process. This is not the right case. This is not the right person to be saying that we need to bring him back to the United States,” Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), one of the party’s more conservative members, told Fox News Radio fired back at Cuellar and Democrats who said they are worried about the politics of supporting men wrongly sent to El Salvador “The trips have proven effective both in the efforts to save Mr Abrego Garcia’s life and to save Democrats from the quagmire they are in on the issue of immigration,” he told The Bulwark “What’s needed now more than wrongheaded hot takes like those from Congressman Cuellar is action and my hope is there will be more members of Congress following the lead of Sen Van Hollen and Congressmen Garcia and Frost.” A third Democratic staffer defended the benefits of the Democratic House delegation’s trip to El Salvador despite their inability to meet with detainees “While the second trip did not deliver an explicit positive like Van Hollen’s did it was a reminder for El Salvador not to do anything crazy while they were in the country and the bigger reminder is Trump is not going to be there forever,” the staffer said he’s not going to get a third term or live to be 100.” As Democrats remain divided over how much to emphasize the Abrego Garcia case and the detentions in El Salvador more generally Other House Democrats are willing to listen to leadership but if Jeffries has a preference on El Salvador trips “As a member of a party you need to be disciplined,” a Democratic lawmaker said ‘Get on a plane,’ ‘Don’t get on a plane’—that’s what you do But you can’t take that approach if you’re not having regular communications You have to be clear in messaging what the plan is and you have to do that regularly if you want to keep people in line.” Leave a comment First on The Bulwark: The Immigration Hub is out with a new project timed to Trump’s first 100 days. In reaction to the White House’s stunt of showing mugshots of immigrants they deported, “Disappeared in America: The Faces of Trump’s Immigration Dragnet” documents more than seven hundred individuals—including legal residents and U.S or deported under the Trump administration Share this story with someone who has been closely following Democrats’ response to Trump’s deportations to El Salvador ReplyShare 1 reply 197 more comments...TopLatestDiscussionsNo posts House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) \u201COur reaction is that Donald Trump has the lowest approval rating of any president in modern American history,\u201D Jeffries responded But while Jeffries may be publicly agnostic on El Salvador trips like the one Reps. Robert Garcia, Yassamin Ansari, Maxwell Frost, and Maxine Dexter recently took \u201CThey want to let the El Salvador stuff slow down,\u201D a senior House staffer said Jeffries\u2019s office initially declined to comment said the item was \u201Cthinly sourced,\u201D leaving out that their office did not initially push back when contacted prior to publication Stephenson noted that \u201CJeffries has repeatedly said after the Supreme Court ruled that the White House had to facilitate Abrego Garcia\u2019s return Jeffries demanded that the order be \u201Caggressively\u201D and \u201Cimmediately\u201D enforced Enough with the fake bravado,\u201D Jeffries\u2019s April 14 statement read Whether Jeffries believes having House Democrats physically go to El Salvador will help or hinder efforts to get Abrego Garcia back is not addressed either in Stephenson\u2019s statement or his own comments following the Supreme Court decision and the use of El Salvador\u2019s prison specifically And Jeffries\u2019s eagerness to sidestep it suggests that the party is far from a consensus Get 30 day free trial The Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) was also working on arranging a trip to El Salvador that would be led by the chair of the caucus One House Democrat said Espaillat\u2019s trip was going to piggyback off Booker\u2019s trip \u201CAdriano didn\u2019t just want to do a trip like the other Democrats did,\u201D the lawmaker said A spokesperson for the CHC told The Bulwark it has been in active conversations with El Salvador about a trip for weeks. Espaillat also attended Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele\u2019s second inauguration last June \u201CThe Congressional Hispanic Caucus is working all avenues to ensure Kilmar Abrego Garcia rejoins his family and receives his constitutional right to due process,\u201D said Espaillat Espaillat, like other Democrats, has focused on the Trump administration\u2019s assault on due process in sending deportees to El Salvador without any hearings. It\u2019s a line of attack that polls have shown resonates with Americans, as the president\u2019s numbers dive sharply at the 100-day marker of his term Republicans primed the system for abuse and cruelty,\u201D Espaillat said \u201Cand now the Trump administration is crossing every due-process line in the book But they did not rewrite the United States Constitution\u2014due process is an inalienable right for anyone and everyone in the United States of America.\u201D it gives fodder for the National Republican Campaign Committee to start using it against other Democrats,\u201D a second House staffer said \u201CThey should understand that what they\u2019re doing is going to be hurting us in the long run.\u201D Share \u201CTrump is taking a wrong turn on his mass deportation force and it\u2019s going to make his position weaker.\u201D But some Democrats also worry that Abrego Garcia has become a less-than-ideal poster child for opposition to Trump\u2019s immigration policies after it was revealed that his wife sought a protective order against him. She recently said in a statement that she acted out of caution because she had suffered domestic violence in a previous relationship \u201CThis is not the right issue to talk about due process. This is not the right case. This is not the right person to be saying that we need to bring him back to the United States,\u201D Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), one of the party\u2019s more conservative members, told Fox News Radio \u201CThe trips have proven effective both in the efforts to save Mr Abrego Garcia\u2019s life and to save Democrats from the quagmire they are in on the issue of immigration,\u201D he told The Bulwark \u201CWhat\u2019s needed now more than wrongheaded hot takes like those from Congressman Cuellar is action Van Hollen and Congressmen Garcia and Frost.\u201D A third Democratic staffer defended the benefits of the Democratic House delegation\u2019s trip to El Salvador despite their inability to meet with detainees \u201CWhile the second trip did not deliver an explicit positive like Van Hollen\u2019s did it was a reminder for El Salvador not to do anything crazy while they were in the country and the bigger reminder is Trump is not going to be there forever,\u201D the staffer said he\u2019s not going to get a third term or live to be 100.\u201D \u201CAs a member of a party you need to be disciplined,\u201D a Democratic lawmaker said \u2018Get on a plane,\u2019 \u2018Don\u2019t get on a plane\u2019\u2014that\u2019s what you do But you can\u2019t take that approach if you\u2019re not having regular communications You have to be clear in messaging what the plan is and you have to do that regularly if you want to keep people in line.\u201D Leave a comment First on The Bulwark: The Immigration Hub is out with a new project timed to Trump\u2019s first 100 days. In reaction to the White House\u2019s stunt of showing mugshots of immigrants they deported, \u201CDisappeared in America: The Faces of Trump\u2019s Immigration Dragnet\u201D documents more than seven hundred individuals\u2014including legal residents and U.S Share this story with someone who has been closely following Democrats\u2019 response to Trump\u2019s deportations to El Salvador Trump admitted in an interview on Tuesday that he could get the Maryland father back with a single phone call Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) has said that El Salvador’s vice president claims that the country is only holding American resident Kilmar Abrego García because it has a contractual obligation to the U.S. which is paying to keep him and others imprisoned Van Hollen reported that Ulloa repeatedly said the El Salvador government has no role in determining whether or not Abrego García committed a crime if the person that you send is not a criminal that’s what I’m saying… The ball is in your court,” Ulloa said Ulloa further said that the El Salvador government has not reviewed Abrego García’s file and washes their hands of any responsibility to ensure that the people imprisoned in the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) or elsewhere have committed the crimes they’re accused of “My conversation with Vice President Ulloa clearly demonstrates that the Government of El Salvador has no independent legal basis for imprisoning Mr the only reason for keeping him in prison is that they entered into an agreement with your Administration to be paid by the United States,” Van Hollen said “This also reveals that your Administration could easily facilitate his release by letting El Salvador know that — given his wrongful detention — they are not contractually bound to continue imprisoning Mr Indeed, President Donald Trump admitted in an interview with ABC on Tuesday that he could get Abrego García back with a simple phone call if he wanted to There’s a phone on this desk,” ABC’s Terry Moran said Meanwhile, it appears that officials have already made some kind of judgement about Abrego García’s innocence of the gang affiliation charges. The Maryland father has been transferred from CECOT into a facility in Santa Ana El Salvador — a prison that “categorically excludes anyone accused of belonging to a gang,” NBC reported this week Van Hollen told the administration to “put up or shut up in court” on their dubious claims against Abrego García “You are engaged in gross violations of the Constitution and due process rights,” the senator said “If your Administration can strip away the constitutional rights of one man in defiance of court orders Sharon Zhang is a news writer at Truthout covering politics, climate and labor. Before coming to Truthout, Sharon had written stories for Pacific Standard, The New Republic, and more. She has a master’s degree in environmental studies. She can be found on Twitter and Bluesky As Trump and his sycophants work to silence political dissent independent media is a key part of the resistance Support our work by making a one-time or monthly donation to Truthout today Chris Van Hollen says he was denied entry into an El Salvador prison on Thursday while he was trying to check on the well-being of Kilmar Abrego Garcia a man who was sent there by the Trump administration in March despite an immigration court order preventing his deportation Chris Van Hollen travelled to El Salvador on Wednesday and met with the country’s vice president to push for the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia Judge finds probable cause to hold Trump administration in contempt for violating deportation order In this photo released by Senator Van Hollen’s press office a Salvadoran citizen who was living in Maryland and deported to El Salvador by the Trump administration Chris Van Hollen speaks to the press in San Salvador where he arrived regarding Kilmar Abrego Garcia Chris Van Hollen speaks to the press in La Libertad the wife of Kilmar Abrego Garcia of Maryland who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador speaks during a news conference at CASA’s Multicultural Center in Hyattsville In this photo provided by El Salvador’s presidential press office a prison guard transfers deportees from the U.S. to the Terrorism Confinement Center in Tecoluca (El Salvador presidential press office via AP The Democratic senator posted a photo of the meeting on X but did not provide an update on the status of Abrego Garcia whose attorneys are fighting to force the Trump administration to facilitate his return to the U.S “I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar,” Van Hollen wrote on X with a photo of the two men talking in what appeared to be a restaurant I look forward to providing a full update upon my return.” It’s not clear how the meeting was arranged where they met or what will happen to Abrego Garcia El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele posted images of the meeting minutes before Van Hollen shared his post he gets the honor of staying in El Salvador’s custody.” The tweet ended with emojis of the U.S said in a statement released by an advocacy group that “we still have so many questions Republicans have criticized Democrats for defending the prisoner and argued that his deportation is part of a larger effort to reduce crime White House officials have said that Abrego Garcia has ties to the MS-13 gang but his attorneys say the government has provided no evidence of that and Abrego Garcia has never been charged with any crime related to such activity More Democrats have said they will travel to El Salvador to argue for Abrego Garcia’s release When asked by reporters Thursday afternoon if he believed Abrego Garcia was entitled to due process President Donald Trump ducked the question to the lawyers,” he said in the Oval Office A spokeswoman for El Salvador’s presidency said she had no further information on the meeting or Abrego Garcia “They stopped us because they are under orders not to allow us to proceed,” Van Hollen said AP correspondent Ben Thomas reports El Salvador is rejecting a U.S senator’s efforts to free or even see a man wrongly deported from the U.S chair of the House Ways and Means Committee He posted on X that “thanks to President Trump” the facility “now includes illegal immigrants who broke into our country and committed violent acts against Americans.” Van Hollen first arrived in El Salvador on Wednesday morning and met shortly afterward with Salvadoran Vice President Félix Ulloa who told him that his government could not return Abrego Garcia to the United States who was nominated by Republican President Ronald Reagan wrote that he and his two colleagues “cling to the hope that it is not naïve to believe our good brethren in the Executive Branch perceive the rule of law as vital to the American ethos.” WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is hosting Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador, at the White House on Monday as the small Central American nation becomes a critical linchpin of the U.S. administration’s mass deportation operation more than 200 Venezuelan immigrants — whom Trump administration officials have accused of gang activity and violent crimes — and placed them inside the country’s notorious maximum-security gang prison just outside of the capital It is also holding a Maryland man who the administration admits was wrongly deported but has not been returned to the U.S. WATCH LIVE: Trump hosts 2025 College Football champions The Ohio State University at the White House That has made Bukele, who remains extremely popular in El Salvador due in part to the crackdown on the country’s powerful street gangs, a vital ally for the Trump administration, which has offered little evidence for its claims that the Venezuelan immigrants were in fact gang members, nor has it released names of those deported. Asked whether he has any concerns about the prison there where deportees are being held, Trump told reporters early Sunday that Bukele was doing a “fantastic job.” “He’s taking care of a lot of problems that we have that we really wouldn’t be able to take care of from cost standpoint,” Trump said. “And he’s doing really, he’s been amazing. We have some very bad people in that prison. People that should have never been allowed into our country.” Since Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit in February, Bukele — whose government has arrested more than 84,000 people as part of his three-year crackdown on gangs — has made it clear he’s ready to help the Trump administration with its deportation ambitions. Bukele struck a deal under which the U.S. will pay about $6 million for El Salvador to imprison the Venezuelan immigrants for a year. When a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to turn around a flight carrying the immigrants already en route to El Salvador, Bukele wrote on social media: “Oopsie … too late.” Though other judges had ruled against the Trump administration, this month the Supreme Court cleared the way for Trump to use the Alien Enemies Act, an 18th century wartime law, to deport the immigrants. The justices did insist that the immigrants get a court hearing before being removed from the U.S. Over the weekend, 10 more people who the administration claims are members of the MS-13 and Tren de Aragua gangs arrived in El Salvador, Rubio said Sunday. “We’ve also found cooperation in other countries that are willing to take some of these people, some very dangerous criminals,” Rubio said during a Cabinet meeting on Thursday. Bukele, Rubio added, “has really been a good friend to the United States in that regard. These are some of the worst people you’ll ever encounter.” Trump has said openly that he would also favor El Salvador taking American citizens who have committed violent crimes, although he added, “I’d only do according to the law.” It is unclear how lawful U.S. citizens could be deported elsewhere. Leavitt said such citizens would be “heinous, violent criminals who have broken our nation’s laws repeatedly.” “I have great respect for the Supreme Court,” Trump told reporters traveling on Air Force One. Government lawyers indicated in a legal filing Saturday that Abrego Garcia remains in El Salvador but did not detail what, if any, steps the administration is taking to return him to the U.S. In its required daily status update on Sunday, the government essentially stated that it had nothing to add beyond Saturday’s filing. Stephen Miller, a top White House aide, signaled on Monday that the U.S. president wouldn’t be asking Bukele to return Abrego Garcia to the U.S. “It’s up to El Salvador and to the government and the people of El Salvador what the fate of their own citizens is,” he said. “We can’t extradite citizens of foreign countries to our country over the objection of those countries.” While Bukele’s crackdown on gangs has popular support, the country has lived under a state of emergency that suspends some basic rights for three years. He built the massive prison, located just outside San Salvador in the town of Tecoluca, to hold those accused of gang affiliation under his crackdown. Part of his offer to receive the Venezuelans there was that the U.S. also send back some Salvadoran gang leaders. In February, his ambassador to the U.S., Milena Mayorga, said on a radio program that having gang leaders face justice in El Salvador was “an issue of honor.” Bukele could also seek relief from the 10% tariff recently imposed by Trump, using the argument that it weakens the economy Bukele is trying to bolster. César Ríos, director of the El Salvador Immigrant Agenda Association, said “it’s crucial that (the visit) isn’t limited to diplomatic gestures, but rather translates to concrete actions that benefit Salvadorans abroad and at home.” Populists who have successfully crafted their images through media, Bukele and Trump hail from different generations but display similar tendencies in how they relate to the press, political opposition and justice systems in their respective countries. Bukele came to power in the middle of Trump’s first term and had a straightforward relationship with the U.S. leader. Trump was most concerned with immigration and, under Bukele, the number of Salvadorans heading for the U.S. border declined. Bukele’s relationship with the U.S. grew more complicated at the start of the Biden administration, which was openly critical of some of his antidemocratic actions. Just before Bukele’s arrival in Washington, the State Department updated its travel advisory for El Salvador to Level 1, which is for countries that are considered the safest to visit for U.S. citizens. The advisory notes that gang activity, and the accompanying murders and other violent crimes, has declined in the past three years. Alemán reported from San Salvador, El Salvador. Associated Press writer Darlene Superville in West Palm Beach, Florida, contributed reporting. By Sara Cline, Kate Brumback, Associated Press Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. © 1996 - 2025 NewsHour Productions LLC. All Rights Reserved. PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. We rely on contributions from you, our viewers and listeners to do our work. If you visit us daily or weekly or even just once a month, now is a great time to make your monthly contribution. lawyer representing 10 Venezuelan men deported without due process to El Salvador by the Trump administration says she was denied access to her clients at the notorious CECOT prison Kerry Kennedy said from San Salvador on Monday she’d also hoped to document human rights abuses inside the prison Kerry Kennedy: “The president of the United States has done so following the same script that President Bukele has used against his own people without any shred of evidence and any semblance of due process.” Kerry Kennedy is a sister of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F and the daughter of the assassinated former attorney general and presidential candidate Robert F Chris Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador on Wednesday and met with the country’s vice president to push for the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia a man who was sent there by the Trump administration in March despite an immigration court order preventing his deportation a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said at a news conference in San Salvador after the meeting that Vice President Félix Ulloa said his government could not return Abrego Garcia to the United States and declined to allow Van Hollen to visit him in the notorious gang prison where he is being held WATCH: Judge presses Trump administration on why it hasn’t returned wrongfully deported man “Why is the government of El Salvador continuing to imprison a man where they have no evidence that he’s committed any crime and they have not been provided any evidence from the United States that he has committed any crime?” Van Hollen told reporters after the meeting The Trump administration and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said this week that they have no basis to send him back Supreme Court has called on the administration to facilitate his return Trump officials have said that Abrego Garcia a Salvadoran citizen who was living in Maryland but his attorneys say the government has provided no evidence of that and Abrego Garcia has disputed that claim He has never been charged with any crime related to such activity “We have an unjust situation here,” Van Hollen said “The Trump administration is lying about Abrego Garcia The American courts have looked at the facts.” Democrats have seized on the case to highlight what they say is President Donald Trump’s disrespect for the courts and as base voters have encouraged them to fight harder against Trump’s policies “This is a constitutional crisis,” said Rep one of the Democrats who is considering a trip “This is not just about a deportation policy This is about defying the Constitution and the Supreme Court.” to the Oversight Committee Chair James Comer requesting a congressional delegation to travel to El Salvador to investigate Abrego Garcia’s condition some Democrats still plan to travel to the Central American nation We need to work with the Salvadoran government We need to pressure the White House to do the right thing,” Garcia said Trump officials slammed the Democratic senator’s trip and renewed their claims that Abrego Garcia was a gang member said on Fox News that he is “disgusted that any congressional representative is going to run to El Salvador.” an El Salvadoran national was returned to the country of El Salvador Some Republicans have planned trips to the prison as well in support of the Trump administration’s efforts posted Tuesday evening that he’d visited the prison where Abrego Garcia is being held He did not mention Abrego Garcia but said the facility “houses the country’s most brutal criminals.” WATCH: The conditions inside the infamous El Salvador prison where deported migrants are held “I leave now even more determined to support President Trump’s efforts to secure our homeland,” Moore wrote on social media The fight over Abrego Garcia has also played out in contentious court filings with repeated refusals from the government to tell a judge what it plans to do The Trump administration has called his deportation a mistake but also has argued that its conclusion about Abrego Garcia’s affiliation makes him ineligible for protection from the courts more than 200 Venezuelan immigrants — whom Trump administration officials have accused of gang activity and violent crimes — and placed them inside the country’s maximum-security gang prison just outside of San Salvador That prison is part of Bukele’s broader effort to crack down on the country’s powerful street gangs which has put 84,000 people behind bars and made Bukele extremely popular at home Human rights groups have previously accused Bukele’s government of subjecting those jailed to “systematic use of torture and other mistreatment.” Officials there deny wrongdoing Van Hollen said after his meeting that Abrego Garcia was “illegally abducted from the United States and committed no crime.” “I will keep pressing in my remaining time here and I will keep pressing beyond that,” Van Hollen said Jalonick and Brown reported from Washington Associated Press writer Seung Min Kim contributed to this report Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article is a maximum-security mega-prison located in Tecoluca CECOT was constructed to combat crime and gang violence as part of Salvadoran Pres CECOT has faced criticism from human rights organizations for its severe confinement conditions the prison offers no educational or rehabilitation programs to support reintegration into society In 2025 CECOT drew international attention following reports that the United States had deported individuals directly to the prison under the Alien Enemies Act part of a broader agreement between the United States and El Salvador and the role of mega-prisons in contemporary security policy the prison was built to “dispose of people without formally applying the death penalty.” In many cases prisoners at CECOT are not serving fixed sentences but are instead being removed from society indefinitely The transfer was carried out under a one-year agreement in which the U.S government agreed to pay El Salvador $6 million to detain the individuals Bukele confirmed that these individuals would be held at CECOT although the deportees were described as gang members neither the United States nor El Salvador released a list of names or provided evidence supporting those accusations immigration official later stated that many of the individuals had no criminal record in the United States relatives of some deportees shared official documents indicating that several also had no criminal history in Venezuela or in other countries where they had previously lived With limited information disclosed by either government the basis for many of the individual detentions remains unclear Although no formal policy has been introduced the statement has drawn renewed attention to international detention agreements such as the one involving CECOT The U.S. arrest and removal to El Salvador’s prison gulag of Kilmar Abrego García a Salvadoran citizen legally residing in the United States has created a firestorm related to the lack of due process in the U.S Could Abrego Garcia — and anyone the Trump administration has targeted to follow that path — use the Salvadoran courts to demand a hearing before being locked away indefinitely In an ostensible effort to fight admittedly rampant gang violence has turned El Salvador into even more of a lawless opaque State with a compromised judicial system How it got there should be a cautionary tale for the United States President Donald Trump’s deportations of U.S immigrants to a notorious prison there and his administration’s deals with Bukele risk drawing the United States into a similarly grim reality in which people are whisked into prison with no proof of crime and no ability to access counsel or even to let their families know where they are dozens of women gather around the doors of El Salvador’s many prisons seeking news of their children or relatives since under the “state of exception” that gave Bukele extraordinary powers in March 2022 with the stated intent of reducing gang violence the government usually will not confirm where in the many prisons a family member is being held have no right to contact their families and no effective right to provide evidence that they are not who the government says they are or that they could not possibly be in a gang Bukele initially entered the presidential race without his own political party and spent his first term in office building his “New Ideas” party into a majority He took over existing right-wing parties and ran in opposition to the historic right- and left-wing parties that had governed the country since the country’s more than decade-long civil war ended in 1992 He won in 2019 but only gained a legislative majority in 2021 the Legislative Assembly has been a rubber stamp with little debate or public input into executive branch proposals despite clear constitutional language to the contrary in the face of an economic downturn and the resulting social unrest Bukele will expand his dragnet and its consequences El Salvador may become a harbinger of what is in store for the United States Naomi Roht-Arriaza (LinkedIn - X) is a Distinguished Professor of Law (emeritus) at the University of California She is the author most recently of "Fighting Grand Corruption: Transnational and Human Rights Approaches in Latin America and Beyond" (2025) Stay up to date with Just Security curated newsletters: Just Security provides expert analysis and informational resources on the issues that matter most—without paywalls Just Security is an editorially independent daily digital law and policy journal housed in the Reiss Center on Law and Security at the New York University School of Law Support Just Security in shaping a more informed and secure world by making a tax-deductible donation of any size through the NYU giving page Donate Now On March 15, more than 200 Venezuelan immigrants were accused of engagement in gang activity and deported from the U.S. — not to Venezuela, but to El Salvador, some 1,600 miles away from their home country. Ellen Moodie, an anthropology professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is the author of “El Salvador in the Aftermath of Peace: Crime and the Transition to Democracy,” as well as the forthcoming “Indignant Liberalism: Protest and El Salvador’s Post-postwar Generation.” She is a frequent expert witness in U.S She spoke with News Bureau life sciences editor Diana Yates about the choice to send the prisoners to El Salvador administration explained its decision to send so many Venezuelan immigrants to El Salvador a response to an invasion of the country — indeed a war — by members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua President Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act a 1798 law that gives the president the power to detain and deport noncitizens Trump declared that the gang “is perpetrating and threatening an invasion or predatory incursion against the territory of the United States.” the AEA had never been used without a Congressional declaration of war Roosevelt invoked the act after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and issued an executive order that led to the internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans government officials later said that 137 of the passengers on those March 16 planes to El Salvador were subject to the act and the others were removed under “regular” processes an authoritarian populist unconstitutionally re-elected last year offered his notorious prisons to Secretary of State Marco Rubio when Rubio visited in February Bukele said El Salvador would receive and detain people deported from the U.S The Trump administration took him up on the offer paying $6 million to hold the Venezuelans for a year How have the courts weighed in on the constitutionality of the move judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking the use of the Alien Enemies Act in this case a ruling upheld by an appeals court on March 26 Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem visited El Salvador’s high-security Center for Terrorism Confinement What conditions are the detainees experiencing no pillow,” as described by photojournalist Philip Holsinger for Time magazine It has become clear through interviews with family members that many Venezuelans were arrested merely for being non-U.S.-citizen men with tattoos Experts say Tren de Aragua does not use tattoos to identify its members A lawyer for a firm representing about 30 of the Venezuelans said they aren’t gang members and have no criminal records Please describe El Salvador’s history of observing — or disregarding — basic human rights including the right to a fair trial before imprisonment and lawful detention The Salvadoran state has a long history of human-rights abuses Peace accords signed in 1992 promised to address some of the problems in the country of 6 million The United Nations installed an observer mission in the country and appointed a truth commission to document human-rights abuses during the war but the state quickly granted amnesty to the perpetrators named by the commission gaps in the state’s authority and the rise of gangs in the country lead to increasing violence it had one of the highest murder rates in the world 87 Salvadorans were killed in one weekend of gang-related violence dominated by supporters of President Bukele Salvadoran police and military were deployed across the country in a massive “campaign to arrest anyone who has or may have had a link with gangs.” The emergency declaration has been renewed 36 times in 30-day segments as required by Salvadoran law At least 85,000 people have been arrested without judicial warrants Constitutional guarantees and fundamental rights including the right to due process as well as freedom of expression and association have been suspended for everyone in the country though we don’t know the numbers since there is no government transparency El Salvador now has the highest incarceration rate in the world Those who survive will likely be prosecuted in mass trials of hundreds of people at a time with judges whose identities will be kept secret Your research often focuses on the aftereffects of war in El Salvador and elsewhere How has Salvadoran society been shaped by these events The most striking “aftermath” of the civil war in El Salvador has been the rise in social violence Murder rates were at epidemic levels for 30 years can be linked to mass deportations of gang members from the U.S Both gangs were originally founded in Los Angeles made secret pacts with gangs to reduce murder rates gang leaders ordered the rash of killings three years ago because they were furious at Bukele’s betrayal of one of their agreements That’s when Bukele directed the legislature to impose the “state of exception” that has now lasted three years El Salvador has had a rocky historic relationship with the U.S Does this new agreement portend a new era in relations between the two countries Bukele’s tweet “oopsie — too late,” after the U.S judge’s restraining order that failed to stop the flights on March 15 The two had already established a relationship in Trump’s first term Bukele attended the Conservative Political Action Caucus to much acclaim attended Bukele’s unconstitutional inauguration of his second term What do you expect will happen to these immigrant-prisoners The Salvadoran government has described Salvadorans held in CECOT as “terrorists.” It has said that they “will never leave,” according to Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch is not aware of any detainees who have been released from that prison most of whom were transferred from other prisons Salvadoran family members often struggle to find their imprisoned relatives once they have “disappeared” into the carceral system the newly deported Venezuelans can’t be found in U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s online detainee locator They do not have consular support from their government because El Salvador hasn’t had diplomatic relations with Venezuela since 2019 They have not appeared before a Salvadoran judge To contact Ellen Moodie, email emoodie@illinois.edu — Four faculty members from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have been newly elected as members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences one of the oldest honorary societies in the United States physics professor Aida El-Khadra and chemistry professor Jonathan Sweedler are […] — Educators and researchers have had longstanding concerns about the quality of computer science instruction in U.S A recent study exploring student learning and computer science teachers’ qualifications in one state suggests that these teachers may be better qualified than those teaching other subjects — A novel research project has shown that areas with greater amounts of green space have a lower prevalence of police violence The study is the first to find a significant relationship between greenness levels and fatal police shootings and it showed that the most socially and economically disadvantaged areas seemed to benefit […] Email: stratcom@illinois.edu Phone (217) 333-5010 VA – A Maryland father wrongly deported to El Salvador and held in a notorious prison told a U.S senator that he was traumatized by the experience Kilmar Abrego Garcia reported to Sen. Chris Van Hollen during a meeting in El Salvador that he was moved nine days ago from that country's Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT to another facility with better conditions Abrego Garcia said he had been traumatized by his time in CECOT and that he had been taunted by other prisoners “He said he felt very sad about being in a prison because he had not committed any crimes,” said Van Hollen who provided details of the meeting at a news conference after arriving back at Dulles International Airport near Washington Abrego Garcia's meeting with Van Hollen on April 17 was the first time he had been seen publicly since he was detained in March by U.S immigration officials near his home in Beltsville friends and attorneys for the union sheet metal worker had raised questions about his safety and well-being A federal judge handling his case had asked the Justice Department to produce daily reports on his location and status Government attorneys had said as recently as April 12 that he was still at CECOT he had already been moved to a facility in Santa Ana who traveled to El Salvador this week to demand Abrego Garcia's release was allowed to see him after twice being advised that the meeting would not happen Van Hollen said the meeting took place in the hotel where he had been staying in San Salvador where he asked to make a phone call to his loved ones but was refused the opportunity He was then taken to a detention facility in Texas shackled” and put on a plane with others who did not know where they were going he was placed into a cell with around 25 other people “He was traumatized by being at CECOT and fearful of many of the prisoners in other cell blocks who called out to him and taunted him in various ways,” Van Hollen said Abrego Garcia told Van Hollen he missed his wife a message the senator said he relayed to the wife in a phone call after the meeting is what gave him the strength to persevere even under these awful circumstances," Van Hollen said The Trump administration expelled Abrego Garcia a 29-year-old Salvadoran native who had been in the United States for more than a decade and sent him back to the Central American country An immigration judge had previously ordered that he could not be returned to El Salvador Government attorneys acknowledged in court documents that he was deported by mistake but say they have no authority to free him because he is imprisoned in a foreign country. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said during a meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House on April 14 that he would not free Abrego Garcia and return him to the United States officials contend Abrego Garcia is a member of the MS-13 criminal gang recently deemed a foreign terrorist organization But their evidence relies on a confidential informant and clothing Garcia was wearing in 2019 police encounter U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis of Maryland has questioned the strength of the government's evidence writing that the United States has claimed “without any evidence” that he is a member of MS-13 Bukele appeared to mock Van Hollen's meeting Abrego Garcia The Salvadoran president posted photos of the meeting and wrote that Abrego Garcia had “miraculously risen from the ‘death camps’ & ‘torture’” and was “now sipping margaritas with Sen Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador!" said a Bukele aide placed the margarita glasses in front of him and Abrego Garcia Abrego Garcia’s glass had slightly less liquid “Neither of us touched the drinks in front of us,” the senator said You don't have permission to access the page you requested What is this page?The website you are visiting is protected.For security reasons this page cannot be displayed With this series of weekly updates, WOLA seeks to cover the most important developments at the U.S.-Mexico border. See past weekly updates here Your donation to WOLA is crucial to keeping these paywall-free and ad-free Updates going. Please contribute now and support our work. (For links to sources used to derive this table, see this blog post from WOLA’s Adam Isacson.) “The reason we’re here is because the government of the United States wants you to leave the United States,” Judge Ubaid ul-Haq presiding from a courtroom on Varick Street told a group of about a dozen children on a recent morning on Webex “It’s my job to figure out if you have to leave,” ul-Haq continued “It’s also my job to figure out if you should stay.” wearing a shirt emblazoned with a pizza cartoon who spun a toy windmill while the judge spoke There was an 8-year-old girl and her 4-year-old sister who squeezed a pink plushy toy and stuffed it into her sleeve None of the children were accompanied by parents or attorneys only shelter workers who helped them log on to the hearing Subscribe to get the latest on analysis and policy Washington Office on Latin America1666 Connecticut Ave NW, Suite 400Washington, DC 20009(202) 797 2171info@wola.org Subscribe with your email to receive exclusive reports and expert research directly to your inbox every week. (Your privacy is important to us; your information will be kept confidential and secure.) Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Chicago; editing by Doina Chiacu You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience We respect your privacy “[e]ven entertaining this offer suggests a potential abandonment of core legal and ethical principles that protect the human and civil rights of Americans and others subject to U.S Note that all people sentenced to penal transportation in Great Britain were sent to places that The practice of penal transportation to the United States abruptly stopped around the time of the Revolutionary War in a facility within 500 driving miles of that residence.” The policy behind this law is to facilitate family visitation; ensure incarcerated people are not deprived of the ability to see family and other members of the community; and better support their reintegration into their communities upon release The First Step Act even mandated that but for the few exceptions and the incarcerated person’s preference for staying in their current prison the Federal Bureau of Prisons must transfer already-incarcerated people to facilities closer to their primary residence when the law became effective – even if they were currently in a prison within 500 driving miles of their primary residence prisons in El Salvador are not within 500 driving miles (nor even 500 flying miles) of any part of the United States citizens convicted of a crime to El Salvador it is almost certain that this maneuver violates the 8th Amendment making the transportation unconstitutional What Happens From Here?In the best-case scenario, this offer goes down in history as a public performance of world leaders who are known for their populist and authoritarian tendencies in addition to their belief that reducing or eliminating civil liberties will reduce crime It is unclear whether the Trump administration is still researching the “legality” of this proposal or thinking through this scenario with any seriousness But if genuine steps are taken to remove U.S citizens convicted of crimes to prisons in El Salvador This article originally appeared in Just Security New DOJ Policies Would Ratchet Up Incarceration Without Aiding Public Safety The Justice Department should not return to ineffective “tough on crime” policies of the past Project 2025’s Plan for Criminal Justice Under Trump The policy proposals would drastically reshape criminal justice policy 2025) – Houston Dynamo FC defeated the El Salvador National Team 2-1 at Shell Energy Stadium tonight behind goals from midfielder Diego Gonzalez and defender Franco Escobar The occasion marked Houston’s first official match versus a national team the match featured six Dynamo debuts in defender Felipe Andrade defender Michael Halliday and midfielder Júnior Urso Goalkeeper Jimmy Maurer also made his first Dynamo start El Salvador took an early lead in the fifth minute when Jairo Ferrufino found the back of the net with a right-footed curler from outside the box Gonzalez leveled the score a minute later with a volley that found the top right corner The play saw the midfielder control the ball off his chest and put his boot through it to fire the ball into the back of the net The Dynamo took the lead in the 74th minute when midfielder Nico Lodeiro delivered a set piece from near the right corner flag that bounced off an El Salvador defender before landing in front of Escobar for the header traveling to the Pacific Northwest face Seattle Sounders FC Democrats press Trump administration to follow supreme court order to bring back Kilmar Ábrego García Cory Booker plans to travel to El Salvador, a source familiar with the New Jersey senator’s itinerary said, as Democrats seek to pressure the Trump administration to return a wrongly deported Maryland resident Ábrego García’s case has become a rallying cry for Democrats, who argue it is a sign of Donald Trump’s reckless approach to immigration enforcement and willingness to defy court orders. An immigration judge in 2019 had given Ábrego García protection from deportation, finding that he may face retaliation if he returns to El Salvador. Read moreBooker wrote on X earlier this week: “The Supreme Court was clear: the Trump administration must act to facilitate the return of Kilmar Ábrego García to the United States There is no room for debate – yet Trump is refusing “Every member of Congress should be standing up for the Constitution and demanding that the administration act to return Mr Trump administration officials have countered by accusing Democrats of caring more about undocumented immigrants than US citizens the Republican congressman Riley Moore toured El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot) where US authorities say Ábrego García is being held and gave a thumbs up in front of a cell packed with inmates Several other Democratic lawmakers have signaled they would like to visit El Salvador and Cecot chair of the Congressional Hispanic caucus Yassamin Ansari and Maxwell Alejandro Frost all members of the investigative House oversight committee Delia Ramirez of the House homeland security committee has also asked for a visit to Cecot Free newsletterA deep dive into the policies controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration Booker, who ran for president in 2020 and is viewed as a potential candidate again three years from now, has been particularly outspoken against Trump. Earlier this month, he delivered a speech from the Senate floor warning of the “grave and urgent” danger presented by his presidency that ran for 25 hours and five minutes – the longest such speech ever. Reporting by Nelson Renteria in San Salvador and Rodrigo Campos in New York; Editing by Sandra Maler Rodrigo Campos covers economic and financial news from Emerging Markets across the globe. Based in New York, he covered the U.S. stock market during the Global Financial Crisis and its aftermath and rose to be deputy Wall Street editor before turning to EMs. Born and raised in Bogota, Rodrigo began his career on the National desk at Colombian daily El Tiempo. The delegation of ISN pilgrims pose for a group photo on their pilgrimage commemorating the 35th anniversary of the death of the UCA martyrs The ISN pilgrims came from eleven U.S. states and represented the breadth of ISN’s faith and justice mission, which reaches Catholic universities, high schools, parishes, and social ministries—especially those affiliated with the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits). The final day of the pilgrimage included participating in the annual commemoration ceremonies and Catholic mass at UCA, where the Jesuits and women were murdered. Additional activities included visits to the cities of other Catholic martyrs and laywoman Jean Donovan (murdered in 1980) and Saint Óscar Arnulfo Romero (murdered in 1980)—where the group celebrated a Catholic mass The group also met with community leaders in Guarjila and El Paisnal communities with long connections to Jesuits murdered in 1989. The pilgrims gather around the rose garden planted in the spot outside the UCA Jesuit community where the martyrs were assassinated Krautkremer was moved by the hospitality of all the Salvadorans they encountered which she described as “a visible sign of a simple gesture transforming into an extraordinary grace.” Nineteen of the twenty-six soldiers who murdered the Jesuits and women in 1989 received training at the U.S a military training school for Latin American soldiers known today as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation Hundreds of SOA graduates became associated with human rights abuses throughout Central and South America in the mid to late 20th century “Walking in the footsteps of the Salvadoran martyrs and innocent Salvadorans who suffered with them was a deeply moving experience,” said Christopher Kerr executive director of the Ignatian Solidarity Network “We hope our presence in El Salvador demonstrated the ongoing solidarity of the U.S Catholic Church with the Salvadoran people and can serve as motivation for the Ignatian Solidarity Network’s continued work to educate and mobilize people for the work of justice rooted in faith.” (Left) Pilgrims pray together during a mass celebrated at the chapel where Saint Oscar Romero was assassinated.(Right) Jorge Palacios lay-led organization that continues to mobilize Jesuit institutions and other Catholic universities and parishes to engage in faith-based social justice education I realized that these heroes that heavily influenced my early adulthood were real breathing people who worked and suffered for justice in their time,” said Jorge Palacios Jr ISN’s Migration coordinator for youth engagement their efforts still materialize in the relationships with the people they served alongside There seems to be this unbroken thread between all of the martyrs of El Salvador who we celebrate every year at the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice but they are also deeply intertwined in the work of the Catholic Church in El Salvador and our own country and communities we are also connected by this thread of laborers as long as we continue the long Long live the memory of the heroic lives of Ignacio Ellacuría Joaquín López y López Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" The Ignatian Solidarity Network (ISN) is a national social justice network inspired by the spirituality of St ISN was founded in 2004 and is a lay-led 501(c)3 organization working in partnership with Jesuit universities along with many other Catholic institutions and social justice partners President Donald Trump’s administration transferred hundreds of immigrants to El Salvador under an 18th century wartime declaration A federal judge’s order temporarily barring the move came too late to the stop the deportations as the flights were already in the air prison guards transfer deportees from the U.S. (El Salvador presidential press office via AP) to be members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang took place under an agreement for which the Trump administration will pay the government of President Nayib Bukele $6 million for one year of services Bukele has made the Central American country’s stark harsh prisons a trademark of his fight against crime he opened the Terrorism Confinement Center where the immigrants were sent over the weekend even as a federal judge issued an order temporarily barring their deportations under an 18th century wartime declaration targeting Venezuelan gang members Bukele ordered the mega-prison built as he began his campaign against El Salvador’s gangs in March 2022 It opened a year later in the town of Tecoluca about 72 kilometers (45 miles) east of the capital The facility has eight sprawling pavilions and can hold up to 40,000 inmates CECOT prisoners do not receive visits and are never allowed outdoors The prison does not offer workshops or educational programs to prepare them to return to society after their sentences prisoners who have gained a level of trust from prison officials give motivational talks Prisoners sit in rows in the corridor outside their cells for the talks or are led through exercise regimens under the supervision of guards Bukele’s justice minister has said that those held at CECOT would never return to their communities The government doesn’t regularly update the figure but the human rights organization Cristosal reported that in March 2024 El Salvador had 110,000 people behind bars including those sentenced to prison and those still awaiting trial That’s more than double the 36,000 inmates that the government reported in April 2021 a year before Bukele ramped up his fight against crime Cristosal and other advocates have accused authorities of human rights violations the government has shown CECOT prisoners in boxer shorts marching into common areas and made to sit nearly atop each other The law requires a president to declare the U.S giving him extraordinary powers to detain or remove foreigners who otherwise would have protections under immigration or criminal laws Trump claimed the Tren de Aragua gang was invading the U.S The Trump administration has not identified the migrants deported provided any evidence they are in fact members of Tren de Aragua or that they committed any crimes in the U.S Video released by El Salvador’s government Sunday showed men exiting airplanes into an airport tarmac lined by officers in riot gear struggled to walk as officers pushed their heads down to have them bend at the waist The video also showed the men being transported to CECOT in a large convoy of buses guarded by police and military vehicles and at least one helicopter The men were shown kneeling on the ground as their heads were shaved before they changed into the prison’s all-white uniform – knee-length shorts socks and rubber clogs – and placed in cells Show Breaking News BarClosePoliticsMary Clare Jalonick Full Screen1 / 4Previous photoNext photoSen speaks at a news conference regarding President Donald Trump's pending tariffs on Canada and other Democrats speak to reporters about President Donald Trump's tariffs on foreign countries speaks during a news conference at CASA's Multicultural Center in Hyattsville during a news conference upon his arrival from meeting with Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador at Washington Dulles International Airport (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)Copyright 2025 The Associated Press WASHINGTON – Senate Democrats plan to force a vote in the coming weeks on a resolution to require more transparency from President Donald Trump’s administration about deportations to El Salvador The resolution announced by Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine on Thursday comes after two votes on Democratic resolutions challenging Trump's tariffs It is part of a larger strategy by Democrats to continue using mechanisms under the law to take floor time from majority Republicans and vote on reversing parts of Trump’s agenda “These votes are all about curbing executive power,” said Kaine who was also a lead sponsor on the two tariff bills who was mistakenly deported to the Central American country and who a Maryland judge has said should be returned to the U.S Kaine said that Democrats want to put Republicans on record on that case and others while also pressuring the government of El Salvador, which is working with the Trump administration The resolution would also require the Trump administration to reveal more information about money paid to El Salvador and assess the country’s human rights record Leaders in El Salvador will have to deal with the United States long past Trump’s tenure and “we’re going to have a very long memory about this.” Democrats have been under pressure from base voters to use their limited powers in the minority to fight Trump on all fronts While the resolution is unlikely to get a vote in the House even if it passes the Senate Democrats say it is about bringing attention to issues and forcing Republicans to go on record where they are reluctant to speak out publicly against Trump “We have limited tools, but this is an effective tool,” said Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who is backing the resolution and visited Abrego Garcia in El Salvador two weeks ago Four Republicans voted with Democrats on the first tariff measure and three Republicans voted with them on the second resolution The Democrats are forcing the votes under different statutes that allow so-called “privileged” resolutions — legislation that must be brought up for a vote whether majority leadership wants to or not The resolution being introduced Thursday is under the Foreign Assistance Act which allows any senator to force a vote to request information on a country’s human rights practices Senate Republicans pulled similar maneuvers during President Joe Biden’s administration under the Congressional Review Act which allows lawmakers to force votes on rescinding regulations Democrats would like to expand the Congressional Review Act to help them reverse Trump's mass firings at federal agencies Maxine Waters introduced bills in the Senate and House on Thursday that would make any president's federal workforce reductions subject to that law and eligible for automatic votes on Capitol Hill if Congress wants to reverse them Kaine said he hopes the votes on the resolutions will force Republicans to feel pressure — and potentially slow down future actions by Trump “It’s a way of shining a spotlight on this issue,” Kaine said Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report rewritten or redistributed without permission TV Listings Email Newsletters RSS Feeds Closed Captioning / Audio Description Contact Us Careers at WPLG Terms of Use Privacy Policy Public File FCC Applications EEO Report Do Not Sell My Info 1.0 Host Exhibit Copyright © 2025 Local10.com is published by WPLG INC. Chris Van Hollen from Maryland wrote to El Salvadoran diplomats to “urgently request” meeting with the country’s president to discuss the potential return of a former Maryland resident who was deported to the Central American nation by the Trump administration WATCH: Trump, El Salvador president indicate no intention of returning mistakenly deported man A federal judge ruled Garcia should be returned to the U.S. a decision that was unanimously upheld by the Supreme Court last week “If Kilmar is not home by midweek — I plan to travel to El Salvador this week to check on his condition and discuss his release,” Van Hollen wrote in a letter address to El Salvador’s ambassador to Washington El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said during a Monday Oval Office meeting that he did not intend to return Kilmar to the U.S Which language would you like to use this site in Against the backdrop of President Nayib Bukele’s official visit to the White House on 14 April, Amnesty International released a public statement warning of the deepening human rights crisis in El Salvador and the complicit stance now taken by the United States by partaking in repressive practices that violate international law. In the light of the recent arbitrary expulsion of Venezuelan nationals from the United States to CECOT, a Salvadoran mega prison, which has not only worsened the human rights situation in El Salvador, but also sets an alarming precedent of repressive cooperation between governments leading to the enforced disappearance of 261 individuals, Ana Piquer, Americas director at Amnesty International, said: El Salvador is implementing a systematic state policy of massive and arbitrary deprivation of liberty. (…) Attempts to export this policy to the situation of Venezuelan migrants and refugees in the United States highlights the lack of protection and the risk that hundreds of thousands of people now face of having their human rights violated by not one, not two, but three different states. Amnesty International called on the Salvadoran and US authorities to bring an immediate end to these actions, ensure full respect for human rights, restore due process, guarantee the right to asylum and the principle of non-refoulement, and effectively protect all detainees from torture, incommunicado detention and enforced disappearance. Piquer concluded: “We remind the authorities in El Salvador and the United States of America that the rights to freedom, a fair trial, asylum, legal defence and protection against torture and enforced disappearance are not privileges, but rather obligations that their governments must uphold at all times. Security cannot be built on the ashes of justice, nor can models that replace the violence of criminal organizations with institutional violence be considered a success.“ We remind the authorities in El Salvador and the United States of America that the rights to freedom, a fair trial, asylum, legal defence and protection against torture and enforced disappearance are not privileges, but rather obligations that their governments must uphold at all times. Security cannot be built on the ashes of justice, nor can models that replace the violence of criminal organizations with institutional violence be considered a success Together we can fight for human rights everywhere. Your donation can transform the lives of millions. If you are talented and passionate about human rights then Amnesty International wants to hear from you. lawyers have said.Reporting by Nelson Renteria in San Salvador Diego Ore in Mexico City and Steve Holland in Washington; additional reporting by Ryan Jones and Idrees Ali in Washington; Writing by Nandita Bose and Sarah Kinosian; Editing by Leslie Adler and Deepa Babington Senior Correspondent based in Mexico. Reports on politics, corruption, security, migration and economy in Mexico and Central America. A Peruvian journalist with more than 20 years of experience in Latin America and the Caribbean covering elections, coups d'etat, uprisings, summits, economic crisis, natural disasters and sports. Previously based in Peru, Bolivia and Venezuela, he's fluent in Spanish and English. has sent hundreds of people to the notorious mega-prison in El Salvador known as CECOT William Brangham discussed conditions inside that facility with Noah Bullock an international human rights group based in El Salvador Notice: Transcripts are machine and human generated and lightly edited for accuracy For more on the conditions inside that facility which is an international human rights group based in El Salvador And how does that compare to other prisons in the country The CECOT prison has become sort of the public face of President Bukele's security strategy which is understood as a state of exception And the prisoners that are often depicted in those photos are prisoners who have literally the names of the gangs that they belong to tattooed on their face it's evident that those are the profiles of people who have likely been in prison with sentences for a long time It's to say that these types of prisoners have been — were in other prisons and then were likely transferred to the CECOT once it was constructed That's different from what we have documented in the state — in our monitoring of the state of exception There have been 85,000 Salvadorans that have been detained under this emergency declaration and they are being held in older maximum-security prisons those prisons may even have more adverse conditions than the ones that are depicted in the CECOT We have documented systematic physical beatings And the combination of both the physical abuse and the denial of basic needs has led to the death of at least 368 people So is that comparison that you're making implying that CECOT is a better prison as far as — I mean there with a lot of those prisoners standing behind her And the — it seemed that the emphasis she was trying to make is that this is the toughest of the tough and you don't want to get sent here So are the conditions in that prison better the CECOT has definitely been presented as the model of how strongmen should deal with the worst of the worst And there's no doubt that there's an implicit cruelty and dehumanization in the treatment of the prisoners there They restrict the time of like about an hour a day The overcrowding is excessive to international standards and the access to toilets and other hygiene clearly seem to be limited in the sense that in other prisons we have seen testimonies of prisoners taking turns standing and lying down due to overcrowding It's more likely that prisoners in the other prisons have scabies on their skin or even signs of physical abuse than the tattoos that you see in the images that are often projected from CECOT this man who was taken from Maryland admittedly now by the U.S it seems like all of these prisoners that have been deported from the U.S says they're not in American custody anymore and yet they haven't been charged with any crimes So are you able to access or able to talk to any of those prisoners to give us a sense of what their status is like One of the commonalities among all the maximum-security prisons is that families and lawyers do not have access to the prisoners that on itself could constitute a situation of forced disappearances Many family members in El Salvador don't know if their family members are dead or alive And now that situation has been transferred to Venezuelan families who aren't able to verify whether their family members are dead or alive The challenge for — judicially for the people being deported is these are people who haven't been convicted of anything What prosecutor could investigate the crimes they allegedly committed and what judge could oversee their rights while they're in detention who is executive director of Cristosal in El Salvador Thank you so much for sharing your information with us William Brangham is an award-winning correspondent and substitute anchor for the PBS News Hour