- Over 200 Venezuelans deported to maximum-security prison in El Salvador
- $6M US payment to El Salvador for detention sparks legal challenges
- Families struggle to locate loved ones removed from ICE tracking systems
- Trump administration cites gang ties without evidence under 1798 law
- Case study: Barber wrongly accused due to daughter's birthday tattoo
In a dramatic escalation of US immigration enforcement, over 200 Venezuelan migrants were flown to a high-security prison in El Salvador over the weekend. The transfers, authorized through the rarely used Alien Enemies Act of 1798, have left families across the Americas frantically searching for missing relatives through disconnected government systems.
Legal experts note the Trump administration’s unprecedented application of this 18th-century law, originally designed for wartime deportations. A $6 million agreement with El Salvador’s government – equivalent to 0.4% of the country’s annual security budget – raises questions about the financial incentives behind the detention program. Unlike standard deportation procedures, those transferred under this law receive no court hearings or access to legal representation.
The policy particularly impacts Venezuelan migrants, who account for over 60% of recent deportees under this program. Since 2013, more than 7.8 million Venezuelans have fled economic collapse under Maduro’s regime, with migration patterns shifting toward the US following post-COVID border policy changes. Many asylum seekers like Xiomara Vizcaya’s son followed legal processes, only to vanish from ICE’s tracking systems after routine check-ins.
Franco Caraballo’s case illustrates the human cost. The Dallas barber maintained perfect compliance with immigration authorities for 14 months before his sudden transfer. His wife Johanny Sánchez provided documentation disproving gang affiliations, including Venezuelan police records and evidence that his controversial tattoo commemorates his daughter’s birth. Legal advocates argue such artistic expressions are common in Venezuelan culture, unrelated to criminal organizations.
Regional analysts warn this strategy could backfire politically. By deporting migrants to third countries rather than their homeland, the US risks normalizing a concerning precedent for extraterritorial detention. The Venezuelan government has capitalized on the crisis, organizing protests in Caracas while urging migrants to return home – a ironic twist given Maduro’s role in creating the migration wave.
