The US and El Salvador have subjected more than 200 Venezuelan nationals to forced disappearance and arbitrary detention, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported Friday. In a dramatic escalation of immigration practices, authorities removed 238 Venezuelans from US detention on March 15, transferring them directly to El Salvador’s Center for Confinement of Terrorism (CECOT), a facility notorious for its abusive conditions.
Immediately following the transfer, the Venezuelan nationals were held incommunicado. Neither US nor Salvadoran officials have disclosed comprehensive details regarding the detainees, despite pressure from affected families and advocacy groups. HRW called the move “a grave violation of international human rights law.” Juanita Goebertus, HRW’s Americas director, emphasized that the forced disappearances strip individuals of any legal protection, leaving families in turmoil and raising serious questions about the legal basis for such actions.
“The cruelty of the US and Salvadoran governments has put these people outside the protection of the law and caused immense pain to their families.” Goebertus said.
The US Department of Homeland Security announced the removal on March 17, noting that 137 individuals had been expelled under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 and 101 others under Title 8, a statute that governs immigration enforcement. However, the basis for invoking the Alien Enemies Act, a law historically used in wartime, has raised significant legal and ethical concerns. The Trump administration alleged the deportees had ties to Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan criminal group, but no evidence was produced to support these claims. Critics have questioned the legitimacy of using such archaic and seldom-invoked statutes for mass deportations. An official from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement conceded that many of those deported had no criminal records.
The Salvadoran government released a video showing images of some deportees but has neither confirmed their identities nor explained the legal grounds for their detention. Lawyers representing the detainees in El Salvador have been denied access to their clients, and family members’ attempts were met only with vague assurances.
According to Amnesty International, these removals occurred despite a court order prohibiting deportations and included individuals targeted for superficial reasons, such as tattoos or their origin from the Venezuelan state of Aragua. Amnesty described the removals as expulsions, not deportations, as they occurred without formal removal orders and due process.
El Salvador, which has been under a state of emergency since March 2022, has institutionalized mass detentions under President Nayib Bukele’s punitive security agenda. Amnesty International has documented extreme overcrowding, lack of medical care, and instances of torture and ill-treatment at CECOT. By facilitating these transfers, El Salvador may be complicit in violating the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits states from transferring individuals to countries where they face risks of serious harm.
HRW and Amnesty International have both called for the immediate disclosure of detainees’ identities, confirmation of their legal status, and restoration of communication with their families. HRW has also urged the US to halt further removals and ensure compliance with domestic and international human rights obligations.
