In a troubling face-off over migrant rights, families of Venezuelan nationals recently deported from the U.S. are taking legal action against the El Salvador government for detaining their loved ones in a notorious prison without due process. After being sent back to El Salvador, these migrants were placed in the Terrorism Confinement Center, where they have allegedly been held incommunicado for nearly two months. The lawsuit, filed on May 9, 2025, seeks their immediate release and highlights the issue of forced disappearance. As relations between U.S. and El Salvador tighten around immigration policies, these developments raise critical questions about human rights and the treatment of migrants under international law.
El Salvador Faces Legal Action Over Detained Venezuelan Migrants
El Salvador Faces Legal Action Over Detained Venezuelan Migrants
Families of deported Venezuelans allege unlawful imprisonment in El Salvador, prompting a lawsuit before the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights.
Families of deported Venezuelans are suing El Salvador for the illegal detention of their loved ones in a notorious prison, claiming violations of due process.
More than a dozen families have come together to file a lawsuit with the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights, holding the Salvadoran government accountable for the detention of 18 Venezuelan nationals. After being deported from the United States, these individuals found themselves imprisoned in the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) without any contact from their families. The lawsuit details their status as being held without due process, with claims of enforced disappearances raised by legal representatives advocating for the affected families.
According to the filing, none of the detainees have had contact with the outside world since March, even though many had pending asylum applications or were entitled to protective status in the U.S. "They’ve all been deported without due process, excluded from any protection of the law and are in a situation of enforced disappearance," said Isabel C. Roby, a senior attorney at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, one of the organizations involved in the legal action.
The suit demands the immediate release of the 18 detained migrants and calls for aid in facilitating their return to safety, either in the United States or another suitable location. The ongoing situation draws attention to the collaboration between the U.S. and El Salvador under President Bukele, as the two governments continue to enforce stringent deportation policies. The lawsuit raises alarm about the human rights implications of these deportations and the treatment of vulnerable populations caught in international immigration politics.
More than a dozen families have come together to file a lawsuit with the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights, holding the Salvadoran government accountable for the detention of 18 Venezuelan nationals. After being deported from the United States, these individuals found themselves imprisoned in the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) without any contact from their families. The lawsuit details their status as being held without due process, with claims of enforced disappearances raised by legal representatives advocating for the affected families.
According to the filing, none of the detainees have had contact with the outside world since March, even though many had pending asylum applications or were entitled to protective status in the U.S. "They’ve all been deported without due process, excluded from any protection of the law and are in a situation of enforced disappearance," said Isabel C. Roby, a senior attorney at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, one of the organizations involved in the legal action.
The suit demands the immediate release of the 18 detained migrants and calls for aid in facilitating their return to safety, either in the United States or another suitable location. The ongoing situation draws attention to the collaboration between the U.S. and El Salvador under President Bukele, as the two governments continue to enforce stringent deportation policies. The lawsuit raises alarm about the human rights implications of these deportations and the treatment of vulnerable populations caught in international immigration politics.
