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El Salvador detention and deportation to torture

Removals to El Salvador's CECOT prison system, secret detention contracts, forced disappearances, and the landmark Abrego Garcia case.

5 records · Last updated March 25, 2026

This collection documents the pipeline of deportation to torture through El Salvador, from the Alien Enemies Act invocation through documented abuses at CECOT.

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Updated March 25, 2026 Deportation to Torture
War Crime / Crime Against Humanity Ongoing Reported record

Secret Deportation of 260+ Venezuelans to CECOT Mega-Prison

Over 260 Venezuelans were secretly deported to CECOT, where HRW documented torture, sexual violence, prolonged incommunicado detention, and denial of basic necessities. Many deportees had no criminal history and were asylum seekers.

  • 260+ Venezuelan nationals were secretly deported to CECOT between March and April 2025, without notice to families or attorneys, constituting enforced disappearance under international law.
  • HRW's 'You Have Arrived in Hell' report documented regular and severe physical abuse, sexual violence (at least 3 cases including forced oral sex), psychological abuse, and prolonged incommunicado detention.
  • Many deportees were asylum seekers with no criminal history, deported to a facility described by a federal judge as 'one of the most notoriously inhumane and dangerous prisons in the world.'
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2
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CECOTtorturenon-refoulementenforced disappearance
Updated March 25, 2026 Deportation to Torture
War Crime / Crime Against Humanity Ongoing Reported record

Forced Disappearances of Salvadoran Deportees in El Salvador's Prison System

Systematic forced disappearances of Salvadoran nationals deported from the US, held incommunicado in Salvadoran prisons including CECOT with no access to lawyers, families, or courts. The US bears responsibility for knowingly deporting individuals to a country practicing enforced disappearance — a crime against humanity under the Rome Statute.

  • Human Rights Watch documented 11 cases of Salvadorans deported from the US between mid-March and mid-October 2025 who were immediately detained upon arrival and held incommunicado.
  • None of the deportees have been allowed to communicate with their relatives or lawyers. None have been brought before a judge.
  • Salvadoran authorities refused to provide information about the deportees, claiming they 'lacked a legal mandate' or had 'no record' of them — meeting the definition of enforced disappearance.
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forced disappearanceEl SalvadorCECOTdeportation
Updated March 25, 2026 Deportation to Torture
War Crime / Crime Against Humanity Ongoing Reported record

Secret $6 Million Contract to Outsource Detention to El Salvador's CECOT

A secret $6 million contract enabled the US to outsource detention to El Salvador's CECOT mega-prison, where HRW documented systematic torture. The unreleased agreement created an unprecedented mechanism to evade domestic legal protections by transferring detainees to a foreign torture facility.

  • The US paid $6 million to El Salvador to detain deportees at CECOT, a mega-prison where HRW documented systematic torture including sexual violence, beatings, and prolonged incommunicado detention.
  • The agreement was negotiated during Secretary Rubio's February 2025 visit to El Salvador and finalized as a written deal that has never been publicly released, despite its unprecedented nature.
  • Over 280 people were transferred to CECOT in secret, with no notice to their families or attorneys — effectively disappeared by the US government into a foreign prison.
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8
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2
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CECOTEl Salvadoroutsourced detentiontorture
Updated September 3, 2025 Deportation & Immigration
Critical Rights and Rule-of-Law Concern Ongoing Active litigation

Invocation of the Alien Enemies Act to Accelerate Venezuelan Deportations

The administration invoked a rarely used 1798 wartime statute to justify accelerated removals of Venezuelan nationals, including transfers into El Salvador's detention system, prompting immediate litigation over both process and statutory scope.

  • The proclamation treated Tren de Aragua activity as an 'invasion' or 'predatory incursion' under the Alien Enemies Act.
  • The government used the proclamation to argue for removals with sharply reduced individualized process.
  • Public reporting connected some removals to transfers into El Salvador's CECOT prison system.
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1
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Alien Enemies Actwartime powersdue processthird-country removal
Updated June 6, 2025 Deportation & Immigration
Critical Rights and Rule-of-Law Concern Ongoing Active litigation

Kilmar Abrego Garcia Deported to El Salvador Despite Withholding Order

Federal officials removed Kilmar Abrego Garcia to El Salvador despite a preexisting withholding order barring that destination, then spent weeks litigating what it meant to 'facilitate' his return after the Supreme Court intervened.

  • An immigration judge had already barred Abrego Garcia's removal to El Salvador.
  • Public reporting said he was transferred into El Salvador's CECOT prison system.
  • The Supreme Court later required the government to facilitate his return, leaving compliance disputes active.
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due processwithholding of removalEl SalvadorCECOT