Two months ago, more than 200 Venezuelan men were deported to a Salvadoran prison without due process. A new report by the Cato Institute found that dozens had entered the U.S. legally.

Washington

More than 100 Venezuelan men were deported to a prison in El Salvador without due process, according to a recent report from the Cato Institute. The report identified that at least 50 of those deported had entered the United States legally, with some arriving as refugees or visa holders and others through the Biden administration’s CBP-1 process, which was designed to reduce illegal immigration. An additional 40 deportees were determined by Cato to have entered the country without permission, while the entry status of the remaining individuals was not confirmed due to a lack of information.

The deportations were carried out under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, which was invoked by the Trump administration. Officials argued the deportees were suspected members of the gang Trinidad Agua and should be treated as enemy aliens, which allowed the government to bypass standard due process protections and immigration court hearings. There are ongoing legal proceedings regarding the use of the Alien Enemies Act, with a federal judge in Washington, D.C., currently considering whether the deportees remain in the legal custody of the United States and if they should be returned.

The report notes limited details have been provided by authorities about the status, release plans, or conditions of the deportees in Salvadoran custody. The Cato Institute has indicated that more information is needed to fully understand the circumstances surrounding these deportations.



Dozens deported to El Salvador prison had entered U.S. 'legally'

Two months ago, more than 100 Venezuelan men were deported to a Salvadoran prison without due process. A new report by the CAO Institute found that dozens had entered the U.S. legally. Our Camilo Montoya Galvez joins me now. Camilo, tell me about this report. They were here legally? And just tell me more. Sure. The report, John, found that at least 50 of the Venezuelan men who were deported to El Salvador back in March as part of that secretive operation had entered the U.S. legally. Some came here as refugees or visa holders, and dozens came under a Biden administration process known as CBP-1 that was designed to discourage illegal immigration. They all came here, the 50 deportees identified by Cato, legally with the government's permission. Another 40, according to Cato, came here illegally, crossing the border without the government's permission. But the organization was not able to make that determination as to the manner of entry for the rest of the deportees, because it does not have sufficient information to do so. And that really gets at the center of this issue, the scant details that the government has provided to many of the questions we have about these deportees, not only their status, but when they're going to be released and how, from Salvadoran custody. Right. How would they make the arrest, then, if these, at least 50, were in the United States legally? Well, the Trump administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, arguing that these are suspected members of Trinidad Agua, that prison gang that the administration is arguing is staging an invasion of the country, and that they should be treated as enemy aliens, and that this law allows the administration to bypass due process protections, immigration court hearings, and the like, to deport and arrest these suspected gang members without any of the due process protections in immigration law. Fifteen seconds left. What's the status of those legal cases on the Alien Enemies Act? A federal judge in D.C. is trying to determine whether these deportees are still in the legal custody of the U.S., and whether they should be returned here to U.S. soil.

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