Propublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates power abuse. Sign up and receive the biggest story as soon as it’s published. This article is published in collaboration with the Texans, the Texas Tribune, a non-profit, nonpartisan local newsroom that is informed and involved in the Texans and Arianza Revelde Experis and Cazador de Fake News.
Four months ago, the Trump administration sent over 230 Venezuelan immigrants to El Salvador’s largest security prison known as CECOT, making a staggering sacrifice not only for the man himself but also for his family. The man was released to Venezuela on July 18th, without much explanation as part of the prisoner’s exchange, and they and their relatives began sharing details of the ordeal.
Juan Jose Ramos Ramos explains the physical torture he endured during his imprisonment in Secott, as his mother, Lina Ramos, explains the emotional torment that she doesn’t know if she has seen her son again. Andry Blanco Bonilla and his mother, Carmen Bonilla, struggle to realize that Blanco may have been caught up in something like this when he had no criminal history. Wilmer Vega Sandia, who moved to the US to find a job that would help him pay for his mother’s cancer treatment, says he prayed every day that he would return home in time for her to hold her in his arms.
Without providing evidence, the US government branded all the members of the Tren de Aragua gang, who are “worst worst”, “sick animals”, and “monsters”. Our report was the first, case-by-case test, indicating that the government knew that the government had not been convicted of a crime in the United States. We discovered that a dozen criminal records existed overseas and included them in our comprehensive database.
Of the more than 230 men, including Ramos, 118 were legally brought to the United States and were deported mid-way through immigration cases. He enrolled in the United States on one CBP appointment. This is a program the Biden administration used to bring order to many immigrants trying to enter the country.
Of the more than 230 men, including Blanco, Ramos and Vega, at least 166 had tattoos. Our research found that the government relies heavily on tattoos to link men to Venezuelan gangs, despite experts at Tren de Aragua saying tattoos are not a reliable indicator of gang affiliation.
A small number of men, including Vega, were admitted to voluntary deviations by immigration judges. In other words, they agreed to pay for the way back to Venezuela. Instead, they were deported to El Salvador.
Watch the video here.
Propovica from Melissa Sanchez, Perla Treviso, Mica Rosenberg and Gabriel Sandoval. Rona Risk of the Arianza Rebelde investigation. And Adrien Gonzalez of Cazadres de Fake News contributed the report. Mauricio Rodríguez Pons and Propublica’s Almudena Toral provided production.
