The government of El Salvador told United Nations investigators that the Trump administration retains control over a group of Venezuelan men deported from the U.S. to a controversial Salvadoran prison—contradicting public claims made by officials in both countries.
The admission appears in new court filings by attorneys for more than 100 migrants contesting their deportation to the Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, a high-security facility infamous for alleged human rights abuses. Salvadoran authorities, responding to questions from the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, stated that “jurisdiction and legal responsibility” for the detainees rests solely with U.S. officials. The deportations occurred in March, despite a judge’s order to halt the flights.
The Trump administration has argued that the men are now outside U.S. legal jurisdiction and no longer protected by constitutional rights. However, lawyers for the deportees say the U.N. response undermines that claim.
“El Salvador has confirmed what we and everyone else understood: it is the United States that controls what happens to the Venezuelans languishing at CECOT,” said ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt.
The administration had paid El Salvador $6 million to detain 300 migrants under a deal justified using the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act. That arrangement, and a mistaken deportation involving a Maryland resident barred by court order from being sent abroad, have drawn lawsuits and sharp criticism from immigrant rights groups, who argue the policy violates constitutional due process.
This article includes reporting by the Associated Press.
This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
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