US Deportees Vanish in El Salvador

0:00What's up, I'm Cory with the story, and these are your headlines from Sydney News today. A new report from Human Rights Watch highlights concerns over 11 Salvadorans deported from the United States who vanished or faced arbitrary, detention back home. These individuals were among more than 9,000 Salvadorans sent back since early January, 2025, under President Donald Trump's policies. Families and lawyers say they have no idea where the men are and none have seen a judge. Trump used a rare wartime law from 1798 to speed up deportations of people labeled national security risks, skipping normal court, processes. The report notes no solid proof from the US or El Salvador that these deportees were gang members, aside from some unverified claims about MS-13. Ties, relatives and attorneys insist the men had no gang connections and were cut off from contact right after arrival. Human rights groups slam the moves, urging the US to halt, sending people into what they call El Salvador's shadowy prison system.

1:04One case even led to a wrongful deportation of a Venezuelan who got sent back to the US and released by court order. El Salvador has run under a state of emergency since March 2022, sparking mass arrests of over 85,000 people without. Warrants or trials, prisons like the massive CET facility built for 40,000 inmates hold many in pack cells. Still, only about 10.5% of recent US deportees to El Salvador had US convictions for violent crimes. El Salvador's government has not commented on the report yet. As tensions rise over these fast-track deportations, advocates push for better safeguards to prevent more cases from slipping into the unknown. This story is shared with support from our sponsor. Do not just listen to podcasts. Get lost in them comfortably. S-O-L-I, solelypillow.com. Made in AI.