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DHS Secretary Kristi Noem toured a prison in El Salvador housing alleged Venezuelan gang members deported by the US, despite claims that some of those transferred may not actually be gang members.
Some shit you should know before you read: Roughly two weeks ago, the United States deported 261 people to El Salvador as part of an aggressive immigration enforcement initiative led by the Trump administration. Of those deported, 238 were Venezuelans—many alleged to be members of the Tren de Aragua gang—and 21 were Salvadorans identified as MS-13 members, including two high-profile ringleaders wanted by Salvadoran authorities. The deportations were carried out under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a rarely invoked wartime law that allows for the removal of foreign nationals from designated enemy nations without standard legal proceedings. However, immigration lawyers, human rights organizations, and families of the deportees have challenged these claims, arguing that at least two of those transferred have no criminal records or gang affiliations.
What’s going on now: During her visit to El Salvador, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem toured the notorious Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), a maximum-security mega-prison built by President Nayib Bukele as part of the country’s sweeping anti-gang crackdown. Noem was escorted through areas housing alleged members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and El Salvador’s MS-13. While standing outside one of the cell blocks, Noem said: “First of all, do not come to our country illegally. You will be removed and you will be prosecuted. But know that this facility is one of the tools in our toolkit that we will use if you commit crimes against the American people.” She also praised El Salvador’s cooperation, calling it “a model for other countries on how they can work with America.”
Despite the Trump administration’s framing of the deportees as dangerous gang members, reports have emerged that many of those transferred had no criminal records in either the U.S. or Venezuela, with some lacking any gang affiliations beyond unproven allegations. One of the most notable cases is that of Frengel Reyes Mota, a 24-year-old Venezuelan father who had been pursuing asylum in the U.S. before being abruptly removed. His immigration documents—obtained by various news outlets—were riddled with errors, including misgendering, incorrect last names, and conflicting ID numbers, and showed no evidence of gang ties, criminal history, or tattoos, which are often used by officials to identify gang members.
Reyes Mota’s lawyer, Mark Prada, told an immigration judge, “He’s not a gang member, judge,” and argued that his client had effectively “disappeared” from the legal system without a lawful removal order. When pressed about whether the Venezuelans would remain imprisoned indefinitely or could be returned if courts ruled in their favor, Noem deflected, stating only, “We’re going to let the courts play out.”
The administration has doubled down in response to growing criticism, with Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, defending the deportations. In a previous interview, he said, “We have intel on every one of them. We are confident these people were affiliated with gangs and posed a threat.” Homan also said he’s confident they will win any cases brought against them related to wrongful detention & deportation.
