Day 55

March 15, 2025

16 documented events

  1. War Crime / Crime Against Humanity Extrajudicial Killing

    Operation Rough Rider begins

    The US launches Operation Rough Rider, a large-scale air campaign against Houthi forces in Yemen, targeting radar systems, air defenses, and ballistic and drone launch sites. It is the first major US military operation in the Middle East under Trump's second term.

    From: US Airstrike Kills 68 African Migrants in Yemen Detention Center

  2. War Crime / Crime Against Humanity Extrajudicial Killing

    Operation Rough Rider begins

    The United States launches a sustained bombing campaign against Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, marking the beginning of Operation Rough Rider.

    From: US Strikes on Ras Issa Fuel Port Kill 84+ Civilians in Yemen

  3. Critical Rights and Rule-of-Law Concern Deportation & Immigration

    Kilmar Abrego Garcia Deported to El Salvador Despite Withholding Order

    A Maryland man was removed to El Salvador despite a prior immigration order barring his deportation there. The Supreme Court later required the government to facilitate his return, making the case a flashpoint for due-process and non-refoulement concerns.

    From: Kilmar Abrego Garcia Deported to El Salvador Despite Withholding Order

  4. Critical Rights and Rule-of-Law Concern Deportation & Immigration

    Invocation of the Alien Enemies Act to Accelerate Venezuelan Deportations

    The Trump administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act to speed removals of Venezuelan nationals accused of ties to Tren de Aragua. Courts quickly intervened, and the policy became a major test of wartime powers, due process, and third-country detention transfers.

    From: Invocation of the Alien Enemies Act to Accelerate Venezuelan Deportations

  5. Serious Rights Violation Rule of Law

    Systematic Attacks on Judicial Independence and Defiance of Court Orders

    The Trump administration has engaged in a sustained pattern of defying court orders, threatening judges, calling for impeachment of judges who rule against it, and hollowing out the Department of Justice, representing the most direct challenge to judicial authority by a president in modern American history.

    From: Systematic Attacks on Judicial Independence and Defiance of Court Orders

  6. War Crime / Crime Against Humanity Deportation to Torture

    Secret Deportation of 260+ Venezuelans to CECOT Mega-Prison

    The Trump administration secretly deported more than 260 Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador's CECOT mega-prison between March and April 2025. Human Rights Watch documented systematic torture including sexual violence in its November 2025 report 'You Have Arrived in Hell.' Deportees were held incommunicado without notice to families or attorneys.

    From: Secret Deportation of 260+ Venezuelans to CECOT Mega-Prison

  7. War Crime / Crime Against Humanity Deportation to Torture

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

    Human Rights Watch documented that El Salvador is forcibly disappearing Salvadorans deported from the United States — detaining them immediately upon arrival, holding them incommunicado without access to lawyers or families, refusing to disclose their location, and denying their existence in the system. At least 11 documented cases of deportees held without contact for up to a year, with authorities claiming they have 'no record' of them.

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

  8. Serious Rights Violation Deportation & Immigration

    Pattern of Wrongful Deportations: US Citizens and Protected Individuals Removed Despite Court Orders

    A documented pattern of wrongful deportations in which US citizens and individuals with court-ordered protections have been removed from the country, often in direct violation of federal court orders. Courts have ordered the return of at least four wrongfully deported individuals, but the administration has resisted compliance.

    From: Pattern of Wrongful Deportations: US Citizens and Protected Individuals Removed Despite Court Orders

  9. War Crime / Crime Against Humanity Extrajudicial Killing

    Operation Rough Rider: US Killed More Civilians in 52 Days Than in Previous 23 Years in Yemen

    From March 15 to May 6, 2025, the US conducted Operation Rough Rider — a 53-day bombing campaign against Houthi-controlled Yemen involving 339+ strikes on 800+ targets. Airwars documented at least 224 civilian deaths across 33 civilian harm incidents, including strikes on a migrant detention center (68 killed), the Ras Issa fuel port (84 killed), and a cancer hospital struck twice. In 52 days, the US killed nearly as many civilians in Yemen as in the previous 23 years of operations.

    From: Operation Rough Rider: US Killed More Civilians in 52 Days Than in Previous 23 Years in Yemen

  10. Serious Rights Violation Press Freedom

    'Bloody Saturday' — 1,300 journalists placed on leave

    Approximately 1,300 journalists, producers, and support staff across USAGM outlets are placed on paid administrative leave. The letter is signed by Kari Lake, listed as 'senior advisor to the acting CEO with authorities delegated by Acting CEO.' RFE/RL's federal grant agreement is simultaneously terminated, with 30 days to appeal.

    From: USAGM and Voice of America Broadcasting Dismantlement

  11. Serious Rights Violation Civil Rights

    Transfer to LaSalle Detention Center

    Khalil was transferred from New York to the LaSalle Detention Center in Louisiana, far from his attorneys and support network.

    From: Deportation Proceedings Against Mahmoud Khalil for Pro-Palestine Protest Activity

  12. Serious Rights Violation Corruption & Self-Dealing

    DOGE engineer writes SSA about 'critical' need for DHS voter data

    A DOGE engineer writes to SSA officials describing a 'critical' need to access DHS voter data through SSA systems, seeking to establish a pipeline between immigration enforcement data and Social Security records for the purpose of identifying alleged non-citizen voters.

    From: DOGE Employees Matched Social Security Data with Voter Rolls to Pursue Voter Fraud Claims

  13. Serious Rights Violation Foreign Policy & War

    Operation Rough Rider begins

    The US launches a sustained bombing campaign against Houthi-controlled Yemen, compounding the humanitarian impact of the FTO designation with direct military strikes on infrastructure.

    From: Houthi FTO Redesignation Chills Humanitarian Operations for 19.5 Million Yemenis

  14. Serious Rights Violation Foreign Policy & War

    War on the Rocks warns of consequences

    Military policy experts at War on the Rocks published a warning that dismantling CHMR would be 'a big mistake' with consequences for both civilian protection and US military credibility.

    From: Dismantlement of Pentagon Civilian Harm Mitigation and Response Program

  15. Serious Rights Violation Federal Dismantlement

    Foreign food inspections drop by nearly half

    Foreign food facility inspections fall by nearly half in March 2025 compared to previous years, hitting what ProPublica describes as a historic low. The cuts to support staff effectively incapacitate the foreign inspection program.

    From: FDA Food Safety Collapse: 3,500+ Staff Cut and Outbreak Investigation Capacity Gutted

  16. Serious Rights Violation Deportation & Immigration

    District court issues injunction

    A federal district court issued an injunction ordering the resumption of refugee processing and admissions, under which over 100 refugees were admitted.

    From: Indefinite Suspension of US Refugee Admissions Program and Record-Low Resettlement Cap