U.S.-deported Venezuelans systematically tortured in El Salvador prison for four months

Human Rights Watch and Cristosal released a report on Nov. 12, 2025 documenting systematic torture of 252 Venezuelans deported by the U.S. to El Salvador's CECOT maximum-security prison. The deportations occurred from Mar. to Apr. 2025. Investigators interviewed 40 former detainees and 150 others with credible knowledge.

The Venezuelans experienced daily beatings, sexual abuse, starvation, enforced disappearances, and incommunicado detention for approximately four months. Guards forced kneeling, head shaving, and beat detainees with batons. The prison director told arrivals You have arrived in hell. Cells were overcrowded with poor ventilation, inadequate food, no medical care, and prolonged solitary confinement.

The detainees were held incommunicado until Jul. 18, 2025 when a prisoner exchange between El Salvador and Venezuela secured their release. For four months, families had no information about their whereabouts or condition. The enforced disappearances violated international law.

Many of the Venezuelans had no criminal record despite U.S. and El Salvador claims they were Tren de Aragua gang members. Some were asylum seekers who had fled the Maduro regime in Venezuela. Human Rights Watch found no evidence supporting gang membership claims for the majority of those detained.

The U.S. paid El Salvador millions of dollars for the detention arrangements. The State Department's own country reports had documented human rights abuses at CECOT before the deportations began. The U.S. proceeded despite knowing about torture conditions. This raises questions about U.S. compliance with the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning people to torture.

CECOT is El Salvador's largest maximum-security prison, built under President Nayib Bukele as part of his crackdown on gangs. The facility is known for harsh conditions. Bukele's government regularly detains people without evidence based on appearance or tattoos. The U.S. deportation agreement helped legitimize Bukele's mass detention practices.