Venezuelan Asylum Seekers Transferred to El Salvador Prison Under Controversial US Deal

Andry Hernandez Romero, a gay makeup artist who sought asylum in the United States last year, is among 238 Venezuelan migrants recently transported to a high-security prison in El Salvador. This transfer occurred three weeks ago as part of a controversial agreement brokered by President Trump with El Salvador’s president. This deal is aimed at eradicating the infamous Venezuelan gang, Tren de Aragua, by allowing the US to deport individuals to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT.

The Trump administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act—unused since World War II—to categorize these Venezuelans as terrorists and violent gang affiliates. This legal maneuver allowed their deportation to the facility. Family members and legal representatives of those transferred have reported to 60 Minutes that they’ve been unable to make contact with them since their arrival in El Salvador. “Our client was actively pursuing asylum and then suddenly vanished,” one lawyer noted. “He was present one day, but when the court date arrived, he was not brought in.”