Trump Administration Knew Vast Majority Of Venezuelans Sent To Salvadoran Prison Had Not Been Convicted Of US Crimes

This article was a joint effort by Propublica, The Texas Tribune, Alianza Rebelde Investiga (Rebel Alliance Investigates), a coalition of online media outlets from Venezuela, and Fake News Cazetors (Fake News Hunters), an investigative online news organization from Venezuela.

According to previously unreported data from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Trump administration was aware that most of the 238 Venezuelan immigrants sent to a high-security prison in El Salvador in mid-March had no prior criminal convictions in the United States before being labeled as terrorists and deported. Despite news organizations disputing these claims and showing that many deportees had no criminal records, the administration stood by its assertions, stating that the deportees were thoroughly vetted for crimes committed both in and outside of the U.S. However, the government’s own data, obtained by ProPublica, The Texas Tribune, and Venezuelan journalists, revealed that only 32 deportees had U.S. criminal convictions, mostly for nonviolent offenses like retail theft or traffic violations.

The data indicated that only six immigrants had been convicted of violent crimes in the U.S., while over half of the deportees had no criminal convictions or pending charges, just immigration violations. A review of court records from the U.S. and Latin American countries where the deportees had resided revealed arrests or convictions for 20 of the men, including violent crimes like armed robbery and assault.

The rushed deportation and imprisonment of these Venezuelans in El Salvador have significant implications, with legal battles questioning Trump’s authority to expel immigrants without judicial review potentially reshaping the handling of immigrants in the U.S. The administration’s consideration of suspending habeas corpus to achieve mass deportations has raised concerns over due process violations.

The report highlights the case of Leonardo José Colmenares Solórzano, a Venezuelan deportee, who had no criminal history but was sent to El Salvador. The government had labeled most deportees as members of a prison gang based on vague criteria like social media posts and tattoos, despite experts stating that tattoos are not definitive indicators of gang membership.

The administration’s claims of the deported Venezuelans’ dangerousness have been met with skepticism, and the lack of transparency in assessing gang affiliations has raised questions about the accuracy of the labeling. The deportation of individuals with pending charges, including nonviolent offenses, has been criticized as circumventing the criminal justice system.

The story of the deportees and their families, along with the discrepancies in the government’s data and public statements, shed light on the complexities and controversies surrounding the immigration policies and practices under the Trump administration.