At El Salvador’s mega-prison, a Trump official warns migrants: ‘Enter illegally and face deportation.’

SAN SALVADOR, March 27 — The U.S. Homeland Security chief under President Donald Trump visited El Salvador’s mega-prison yesterday, where hundreds of Venezuelan migrants have been deported under disputed legal grounds.

Standing before a cell of inmates stripped to the waist, revealing tattooed torsos, Kristi Noem delivered a stern warning to others considering illegal entry into the U.S.

“Do not enter our country illegally. You will be removed and prosecuted,” she declared at the maximum-security Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT).

“This facility is one of the tools we will use if you commit crimes against the American people.”

In mid-March, Trump invoked rarely used wartime legislation to bypass standard deportation protocols, swiftly expelling 238 Venezuelans to El Salvador.

Washington accused them of ties to the Tren de Aragua criminal gang, which it has designated a terrorist organization. However, families and lawyers for several deportees deny any connection.

The deportations occurred despite a U.S. federal judge issuing a temporary halt that same day. The Trump administration appealed the decision, but a three-judge panel upheld the suspension on Wednesday.

On Monday, a law firm hired by Caracas filed a habeas corpus petition, demanding legal justification for the migrants’ continued detention.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro denounced the move, calling the deportations an act of “kidnapping.”

According to the White House, Washington paid the Bukele administration approximately $6 million for the detention of the deportees.

As part of a regional tour that includes Colombia and Mexico, Noem was also scheduled to meet Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele. She stated she would discuss ways to increase deportation flights and the removal of violent criminals from the U.S.

A Dangerous Precedent

Amnesty International criticized the mass expulsion, calling it a “flagrant disregard” for human rights and a troubling step toward authoritarianism.

“There is a clear and concerning link between Bukele’s methods and recent U.S. actions—both rely on a lack of due process and criminalization based on discriminatory criteria,” the organization stated.

Bukele’s anti-gang crackdown has led to tens of thousands of suspected criminals being sent to CECOT, earning him domestic praise but drawing criticism for alleged human rights violations.

Salvadoran Minister of Justice and Security Gustavo Villatoro accompanied Noem during her visit to CECOT, the largest prison in Latin America.

Guarded by soldiers and police, the prison features high electrified walls and holds up to 40,000 inmates, who are denied family visits.

Human rights groups warn that more innocent migrants may be wrongly imprisoned.

“There is growing evidence that many deportees are not part of Tren de Aragua and are at risk of serious human rights violations,” said Juan Pappier, deputy Americas director at Human Rights Watch.

“The greatest concern is that the U.S. may continue sending innocent people to Salvadoran prisons,” he told AFP.

Under Bukele’s crackdown, more than 86,000 suspected gang members have been arrested. While several thousand have been released after being found innocent, the campaign has drawn global scrutiny.

Risks of Collaboration

Collaborating with Trump could be a double-edged sword for Bukele, said Diego Chaves-Gonzalez of the Migration Policy Institute in the U.S.

“It could create tensions if a future U.S. administration deems these practices a human rights violation or a threat to bilateral cooperation,” he told AFP.

Salvadoran analyst Carlos Carcach warned that Bukele’s alignment with Trump reinforces the country’s negative international image.

“What we’re witnessing is the consolidation of an authoritarian regime in El Salvador with the backing of the world’s greatest power,” he said. — AFP