A new investigation has documented a pattern of severe and prolonged abuse, including acts of torture, against Venezuelan nationals who were deported from the United States to El Salvador earlier this year. The findings point to potential complicity by U.S. authorities who ordered the transfers despite prior knowledge of dangerous prison conditions.
The report, released Wednesday, states that over 250 individuals were subjected to inhumane treatment at a high-security detention facility in El Salvador. Allegations include systematic beatings, prolonged isolation, inadequate nutrition, and sexual violence. International human rights law classifies many of these abuses as torture.
According to the investigation, U.S. officials proceeded with the deportations while aware of the risks faced by detainees in Salvadoran prisons, based on existing human rights assessments. The U.S. government reportedly provided millions of dollars to cover the costs of detention.
One former detainee quoted in the report recalled being told by a prison official upon arrival, “You have arrived in hell.” Testimonies describe punishments inflicted for minor infractions, such as speaking too loudly or requesting medical aid.
The detainees, many of whom were asylum seekers, were freed in July as part of a diplomatic exchange. The report argues that their treatment reflects a wider, alarming pattern of abuse within the Salvadoran prison system, where arbitrary detentions and alleged torture have become commonplace.
Human rights advocates are calling for an independent U.S. investigation into the deportations and for an immediate halt to sending third-country nationals to El Salvador under such circumstances. They assert that outsourcing detention under these conditions risks direct involvement in severe human rights violations.