Washington, D.C. — In a move that has drawn significant scrutiny, the United States flew 238 Venezuelan migrants from Texas to El Salvador’s formidable Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), a maximum-security prison, approximately three weeks prior to April 6, 2025. The transfer was executed under the authority of a law not invoked since World War II, according to reports.
The Trump administration, which orchestrated the transfer, publicly claimed the migrants were all terrorists and violent gang members. However, internal government documents obtained by CBS News, which list the identities of the transferred individuals, paint a starkly different picture. These documents indicate that an overwhelming majority of the migrants have no apparent criminal convictions or even criminal charges against them.
Contradictory Evidence Emerges
The discrepancy between the administration’s public assertions and the information contained within its own records raises profound questions about the basis for the transfer and the fate of those now detained in the harsh Salvadoran facility. Among the 238 individuals sent to CECOT are people from diverse backgrounds, including a makeup artist, a soccer player, and a food delivery driver.
The case of 31-year-old Venezuelan makeup artist Andry Hernandez Romero exemplifies the situation of many. According to his attorney, Lindsay Toczylowski, Mr. Hernandez Romero possesses no criminal record in either the United States or Venezuela. He reportedly left his home country last year after being targeted for his sexual orientation and political views, subsequently seeking asylum in the US near San Diego.
Examining the Records
While the vast majority of the migrants flown to El Salvador appear to lack serious criminal histories based on the obtained documents, the records do indicate that at least 22% of the men on the list have some form of criminal history in the US or abroad. The documents specify that these records are primarily for non-violent offenses such as theft, shoplifting, and trespassing.
A smaller subset, approximately a dozen individuals, are accused of more serious crimes, including murder, rape, assault, and kidnapping. Nevertheless, these numbers represent a fraction of the total 238 transferred migrants, challenging the administration’s broad characterization of the entire group as terrorists and violent gang members.
The Destination: El Salvador’s CECOT Prison
The migrants were sent to the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), a facility described by El Salvador’s justice minister as a place where the only way out is “in a coffin,” according to reports. This characterization underscores the severity and finality associated with detention in the prison.
A Reuters photo dated April 4, 2025, captured a Salvadoran soldier alongside the distinctive CECOT logo during a media tour of the facility, providing a visual representation of the imposing environment where the transferred migrants are now held.
Questions of Policy and Due Process
The decision to transfer individuals, many without apparent criminal records, to a foreign maximum-security prison using an extraordinary legal authority unused for decades highlights the evolving and controversial nature of US immigration policy. Critics argue that sending individuals seeking asylum or lacking significant criminal histories to such a facility without clear judicial process or individual assessment raises serious humanitarian and legal concerns.
The transfer followed an offer from El Salvador’s president to accept the migrants, but the conditions of their detention and the justification provided by the US administration remain subject to intense scrutiny in light of the newly revealed documents.
The findings from the internal government documents obtained by CBS News contradict the US administration’s blanket assertion regarding the criminal backgrounds of the transferred migrants, fueling debate over the transparency and justification of this unusual international transfer.
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