A coalition of migrant rights lawyers has filed a lawsuit with the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights, demanding the release of 18 Venezuelan nationals imprisoned without due process in El Salvador.
El Salvador Faces Lawsuit Over Detained Venezuelan Deportees
El Salvador Faces Lawsuit Over Detained Venezuelan Deportees
Families of Venezuelan migrants deported from the U.S. to El Salvador are suing the government for their detention in a notorious prison.
More than a dozen families are raising concerns about the treatment of their loved ones, who were deported by U.S. immigration authorities and subsequently held in the Terrorism Confinement Center, known as CECOT. According to the lawsuit submitted on Friday, these individuals have not been allowed any communication with their families since March. Many of them had ongoing asylum petitions or other forms of humanitarian protection in the U.S.
“Deportations have taken place without adherence to legal protocols, leading to a situation of enforced disappearance,” expressed Isabel C. Roby, a senior attorney at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, one of the organizations representing the families. The Salvadoran government has not responded to requests for comments regarding the lawsuit, which alleges that at least 288 deportees, primarily Venezuelans, are currently housed in CECOT.
The lawsuit calls for immediate release of the detainees and seeks to ensure their safe return to either the U.S. or another nation where they can be secure. The deportation deal facilitated by El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele has become a significant aspect of the Trump administration's immigration policy. However, concerns continue to grow about the treatment of deported migrants and the legal implications of such agreements.
