“You Have Arrived in Hell”: Venezuelans Sent By U.S. to El Salvador Faced Torture, Sexual Abuse

252 Venezuelan immigrants in the United States were flown to El Salvador in the dead of night and indefinitely imprisoned at the Salvadoran mega-prison CECOT, the Terrorism Confinement Center. The detainees had no ability to communicate to the outside world before they were finally released to Venezuela in a prisoner exchange. The men were subjected to beatings almost daily upon arrival," says Noah Bullock, executive director of Cristosal who co-authroed a report with Human Rights Watch documenting human rights abuses and torture in the prison.

The report also found that the prison guards were clearly trying to hide their identities while they were torturing these Venezuelan migrants," says Juan Pappier, Americas deputy director at Human Rights Watch.