US-Backed Deportations of Venezuelan Migrants in El Salvador Amount to Arbitrary Detention and Torture, Reports Says
A damning report by human rights groups Human Rights Watch and Cristosal has found that the deportation and treatment of over 200 Venezuelan migrants held at a prison in El Salvador, at the request of the US, amounts to arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and torture under international law.
The investigation, which cites dozens of interviews with the detained men, reveals that they were subjected to "constant beatings" by Salvadoran guards at the notorious CECOT maximum security prison. Other forms of mistreatment, including cases of sexual abuse, have also been documented.
According to the report, the detainees faced inhumane conditions, including incommunicado detention, inadequate access to food, limited medical care, and the denial of basic hygiene, all inconsistent with United Nations rules governing the treatment of prisoners.
These abuses appear to be part of a practice designed to subjugate, humiliate, and discipline detainees through the imposition of grave physical and physiological suffering. The report suggests that officers acted on the belief that their superiors either supported or tolerated these abusive acts.
Critics argue that the US government was complicit in these mistreatments, noting that the Trump administration gave El Salvador $4.7 million in March, including to imprison deportees accused of ties to a gang originating from Venezuela.
Most of the Venezuelan men were released from CECOT this summer and returned to Venezuela as part of a prisoner swap brokered by the US. However, many were deported to El Salvador with little to no due process under the wartime Alien Enemies Act of 1798. In fact, CBS News found that some deportees did not have any apparent criminal record in the US or abroad, despite being accused of being dangerous criminals and members of a gang.
The human rights groups' report raises serious concerns about the treatment of migrants at the hands of the US government and its allies. The findings highlight the need for greater accountability and transparency in the treatment of asylum seekers and migrants worldwide.
A damning report by human rights groups Human Rights Watch and Cristosal has found that the deportation and treatment of over 200 Venezuelan migrants held at a prison in El Salvador, at the request of the US, amounts to arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and torture under international law.
The investigation, which cites dozens of interviews with the detained men, reveals that they were subjected to "constant beatings" by Salvadoran guards at the notorious CECOT maximum security prison. Other forms of mistreatment, including cases of sexual abuse, have also been documented.
According to the report, the detainees faced inhumane conditions, including incommunicado detention, inadequate access to food, limited medical care, and the denial of basic hygiene, all inconsistent with United Nations rules governing the treatment of prisoners.
These abuses appear to be part of a practice designed to subjugate, humiliate, and discipline detainees through the imposition of grave physical and physiological suffering. The report suggests that officers acted on the belief that their superiors either supported or tolerated these abusive acts.
Critics argue that the US government was complicit in these mistreatments, noting that the Trump administration gave El Salvador $4.7 million in March, including to imprison deportees accused of ties to a gang originating from Venezuela.
Most of the Venezuelan men were released from CECOT this summer and returned to Venezuela as part of a prisoner swap brokered by the US. However, many were deported to El Salvador with little to no due process under the wartime Alien Enemies Act of 1798. In fact, CBS News found that some deportees did not have any apparent criminal record in the US or abroad, despite being accused of being dangerous criminals and members of a gang.
The human rights groups' report raises serious concerns about the treatment of migrants at the hands of the US government and its allies. The findings highlight the need for greater accountability and transparency in the treatment of asylum seekers and migrants worldwide.
! I mean, come on, a prison is not meant to be some kind of torture chamber. The fact that these guys were beaten, sexually abused, and left to rot without proper care or hygiene is just heartbreaking 
. And the US government is basically complicit in all this? That's just unacceptable 
. I don't know how you can justify locking up people and then beating them for no reason, especially when they're not even from the country. It's like, what are we even doing? This report needs to be taken seriously and something needs to be done about it ASAP 
.
omg what's going on with these 200 venezuelan migrants held at cecot prison in el salvador? it's like they're being treated like animals 
they're getting constant beatings & other forms of mistreatment, including sexual abuse... that's just not okay 
it's all so shady & unaccountable 
i mean, most of them were released back to venezuela but some got deported with little to no due process... what even is that? 
. and then when they get there, they're treated like animals 
. constant beatings, no access to food or water... it's insane. we gotta make sure these human rights groups keep exposing this stuff, so we can actually do something about it 
. and btw, what's up with the us giving el salvador all that money? is that like a bribe or somethin' 
? we need to hold our leaders accountable for their actions, not just the ppl they're deporting 
.
. the us should be working to find solutions, not just dumping ppl in a system that clearly doesn't care about their human rights 
. it's time for some serious accountability from our government 
And the US government giving El Salvador money after this stuff goes down is just shady 
This is absolutely ridiculous, like what kinda twisted game are they playing here? 
And the US government's complicity in this is just mind-blowing... like, $4.7 million for what? To keep these dudes in misery? 
US backing these guys just shows how messed up international relations have gotten... 
and what's even worse is that some of these ppl were released back into Venezuela with little to no due process, which just puts them in danger again... 
we need 2 see real change here, not just lip service 
I'm literally shaking thinking about what those guys went through. We need to make sure our governments are doing better by these people, you know? 
In all seriousness though, these Venezuelan migrants were just trying to make a better life for themselves and the US is treating them like nothing more than pawns in their game? 