on the 200+ Venezuelans deported in march
Whether the government is under Trump or Obama, U.S. deportation practices have long been marked by minimal due process, raising human rights concerns over the years. What distinguishes the current federal government, however, is the unprecedently xenophobic and discriminatory rhetoric used to justify these practices.
In March, the US deported over 200 Venezuelan migrants to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador without due process. There, detainees suffered beatings, sexual punishment, and inhumane conditions widely classified as “torture” (Barbaro). The deportations aimed to reduce individuals associated with Tren De Aragua, a Venezuelan gang, and were justified using the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.
The Alien Enemies Act is wartime legislation that “allows the president to detain or deport the natives and citizens of an enemy nation” and “to target immigrants without a hearing and based only on their country of birth or citizenship” (Yon Ebright). Historically, the act had been invoked three times: the War of 1812, WWI, and WWII—most notably to facilitate Japanese internment camps and other mass restrictions on immigrants. Its use has been limited to periods of formally declared war.
Today, however, the Act has been reinterpreted through politicized definitions of “invasion” or “predatory incursion” against US territory. Anti-immigration groups use this language to justify invoking the act during peacetime to bypass conventional immigration law, broaden the scope of deportation, and narrow the probability for migrants to have due process.
When deporting Venezuelans, ICE relied on a points system and checklist to determine eligibility for deportation called the “Alien Enemy Validation Guide”: the individual must be at least 14 years old, a citizen of Venezuela, and undocumented. If these requirements were met, ICE agents tallied points across categories such as “Dress” and “Symbolism” with 8 points qualifying the individual for deportation. Official documents stated that points were warranted when “the subject has tattoos denoting membership/loyalty to the TDA” (Padgett).
In practice, however, Homeland Security images reveal that ordinary tattoos—the Michael Jordan “Jumpman” logo, stars, clocks, and crowns—were treated as evidence for criminal affiliation worth 4 points each. Clothing choices were similarly criminalized: “high end urban streetwear” and Michael Jordan jerseys with the number 23 were cited as indicators of gang involvement (Padgett).
Although cases based solely on dress and symbolism require agents to have supervisory approval, the lack of due process meant that there was no meaningful verification of guilt. Human Rights Watch and Cristosal claim in their report that half the Venezuelans deported had no criminal records and only 3% had been convicted in the US for a violent or potentially violent crime (Human Rights Watch).
Once transferred to El Salvador’s supermax prison for terrorists, CECOT, prisoners describe inhumane conditions. Prisoners interviewed by Human Rights Watch and Cristosal “alleged that guards periodically assaulted them with kicks, punches, and batons during daily cell searches” (Rios, Munoz-ledo) with many inmates reporting having suicidal thoughts, and at least one said he attempted suicide.
“I fell into depression. I wanted to kill myself because I thought I would be better off dead. In the end, the only thing that gave me strength was God…and my family, my wife, my daughter, and my mother,” Nelson, another detainee, describes in the interview.
In July 2025, the US and Venezuela conducted a prisoner exchange: 10 American citizens were released in exchange for the Venezuelan prisoners. Former prisoners report similar experiences as found in the interview. Jerce Reyes, Jose Mora, and Rafael Martinez all reported to CNN that they were frequently “beaten by guards” and “accused Salvadoran prison authorities of denying them of basic human rights, including access to attorneys and adequate living conditions.” (Rios, Munoz-ledo) They describe that when detainees went on strike to demand for basic rights, like communication with the outside world, they got shot at “point blank with rubber bullets, point blank into the cell”, Mora describes, “We were like chickens or rats locked up…and they shot at us with rubber bullets.”
While streamlined deportation procedures have been a consistent feature of US immigration enforcement, comparisons across administrations show differences in policy and rhetoric. Under the Obama administration, for example, large-scale deportations occurred alongside programs such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and Temporary Protected Status.
While limited due process has become a normalized feature of U.S. immigration enforcement, the severity of the consequences in this case carries significant risk to human rights. Deportation to a foreign country’s maximum-security prison, one that has been associated with physical abuse and restricted legal access, extends beyond routine near-border deportation and carries significant risks to human liberties. When immigration enforcement results in outcomes of this magnitude, procedural safeguards are not merely administrative formalities but essential mechanisms for ensuring accuracy and accountability.
(this is a repost because i realized that the formatting was SO off)
Works Cited Muñoz-Ledo, Rocio, and Michael Rios. “Dozens of Venezuelans Deported from US to Notorious Salvadoran Prison Subjected to Torture, Rights Groups Claim in New Report.” CNN, 12 Nov. 2025, www.cnn.com/2025/11/12/americas/el-salvador-prison-cecot-venezuela-hrw-cristosal-latam-intl. Padgett, Tim. “U.S. Used a ‘Scorecard’ to Mark Venezuelans as Deportable Gang Members.” WLRN, 31 Mar. 2025, www.wlrn.org/immigration/2025-03-31/ice-tren-de-aragua-venezuela-deportation-el-salvador. Accessed 28 Dec. 2025. “US/El Salvador: Torture of Venezuelan Deportees.” Human Rights Watch, 12 Nov. 2025, www.hrw.org/news/2025/11/12/us/el-salvador-torture-of-venezuelan-deportees. Yon Ebright, Katherine. “The Alien Enemies Act, Explained.” Brennan Center for Justice, 10 Oct. 2024, www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/alien-enemies-act-explained.