Summary
Venezuelan migrants, including Carlos Daniel Terán, were transferred to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador after the U.S. accused them of being part of a Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua. The detainees reported harsh conditions and abuse during their imprisonment before being released as part of a prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Venezuela.
Key Facts
- Venezuelan migrants were sent to El Salvador’s maximum-security prison, CECOT, after being accused by the U.S. of gang affiliation.
- Carlos Daniel Terán, one of the detainees, recalls harsh words from a prison warden and harsh prison conditions.
- Under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, the migrants were deported without evidence of their alleged membership in the gang.
- Terán and others spent months without being able to contact their families or lawyers.
- Over 250 Venezuelan detainees were released during a prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Venezuela.
- Detainees described facing violence, sexual abuse, and poor living conditions such as inadequate food and no air conditioning.
- Carlos Terán, who entered the U.S. legally, did not have a criminal record in the U.S. and denied any gang affiliation.
- Prisoners endured unsanitary conditions with limited access to bathing facilities and slept on metal planks without bedding.
