- Over 200 Venezuelans deported from U.S. held in Salvadoran maximum-security prison since March
- Detainees denied legal access and family communication under El Salvador’s state of emergency
- International organizations demand intervention from Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
In a controversial move, the United States deported more than 200 Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador earlier this year, paying the Central American nation to incarcerate them in a new maximum-security facility. The detainees – including asylum seekers and individuals with temporary protected status – now face indefinite detention without charges under President Nayib Bukele’s draconian security measures.
Human rights advocates reveal this arrangement represents a dangerous precedent in immigration enforcement. This transnational detention scheme violates multiple international treaties,explains Bella Mosselmans of the Global Strategic Litigation Council. By outsourcing prisoners to jurisdictions with weaker human rights protections, wealthy nations circumvent their legal obligations.
El Salvador’s three-year state of emergency has enabled mass arrests of over 85,000 citizens for alleged gang affiliations. While reducing violent crime, the policy has drawn criticism for suspending constitutional rights and enabling arbitrary detentions. Experts warn the Venezuelans’ case demonstrates how authoritarian-leaning governments might monetize their carceral systems through international partnerships.
The detention deal’s financial mechanics remain opaque, though court filings suggest the U.S. government compensates El Salvador per detainee. This arrangement helps fund Bukele’s showcase prison complex while avoiding domestic political backlash over migrant detention in U.S. facilities. Legal analysts compare it to Australia’s offshore processing centers, but with greater restrictions on detainee rights.
Regional implications continue unfolding as families of 18 detainees provide sworn testimony about the psychological toll of indefinite separation. My husband vanished after his asylum interview,recounts one spouse in legal documents. For three months, we didn’t know if he was alive.Such accounts underscore the human cost of transnational security cooperation lacking judicial oversight.
With parallel lawsuits progressing in U.S. and Salvadoran courts, the Inter-American Commission’s potential intervention could establish critical safeguards. Legal teams demand immediate family communication rights, legal representation access, and repatriation pathways – measures that would test the limits of bilateral detention agreements.
