The United Nations has expressed serious concerns over the fate of over 100 Venezuelans deported from the United States and now held in a high-security facility in El Salvador, citing potential human rights violations.
According to the UN human rights chief, the UN has received information indicating that these individuals are being detained at the Centre for Terrorism Confinement in El Salvador. The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) also stated that the whereabouts of at least 245 other Venezuelans and approximately 30 Salvadorans deported to El Salvador during the Trump administration’s deportation campaign remain unclear.
Neither the United States nor El Salvador governments have immediately responded to requests for comment from Reuters.
The deportations were carried out under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, invoked by the Trump administration to swiftly deport suspected members of criminal gangs, including the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, which the U.S. has designated as a terrorist group.
According to OHCHR, citing official U.S. data, at least 142,000 people were deported from the U.S. between January 20 and April 29.
OHCHR reports that information from family members and lawyers of the deported Venezuelans suggests many are being held at El Salvador’s Centre for Terrorism Confinement.
El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele offered to house criminals deported from the U.S. at the mega-prison, which is designed to hold up to 40,000 inmates and is intentionally isolated from urban areas.
“This situation raises serious concerns regarding a wide array of rights that are fundamental to both U.S. and international law,” said Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in a statement.
Turk added that those deported to El Salvador have not had the opportunity to effectively challenge their detention. He also stated that detainees at the facility are reportedly being treated harshly, and many were not informed by U.S. authorities that they would be deported to a third country for detention.
The OHCHR is urging the government of El Salvador to grant it access to the Centre for Terrorism Confinement.
