{"id":282384,"date":"2025-04-15T09:41:10","date_gmt":"2025-04-15T09:41:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/15\/inside-trumps-rushed-effort-to-deport-238-migrants\/"},"modified":"2025-04-15T09:41:10","modified_gmt":"2025-04-15T09:41:10","slug":"inside-trumps-rushed-effort-to-deport-238-migrants","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/15\/inside-trumps-rushed-effort-to-deport-238-migrants\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside Trump\u2019s Rushed Effort to Deport 238 Migrants"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/04\/14\/multimedia\/00int-venezuela-elsalvador-detainees-top-alt\/00int-venezuela-elsalvador-detainees-hqlp-facebookJumbo.jpg?ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"Inside Trump\u2019s Rushed Effort to Deport 238 Migrants\" title=\"Inside Trump\u2019s Rushed Effort to Deport 238 Migrants\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Nathali S\u00e1nchez last heard from her husband on March 14, when he called from a Texas detention center to say he was being deported back to Venezuela. Later that night, he texted her through a government messaging app for detainees.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cI love you,\u201d he wrote, \u201csoon we will be together forever.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Her husband, Arturo Su\u00e1rez Trejo, 33, a musician, had been in American custody for a month, calling every few days to assure his family that he was OK, his relatives said. Now, the couple believed they would reunite and he would finally meet his daughter, Nahiara, who had been born during his brief stint as a migrant in the United States.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But less than a day later, Mr. Su\u00e1rez was shackled, loaded onto a plane and sent to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador, according to an internal government list of detainees obtained by The New York Times. Around the time Mr. Su\u00e1rez was texting his wife, the Trump administration was quietly invoking the Alien Enemies Act, a sweeping wartime power that allows the government to swiftly deport citizens of an invading nation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Su\u00e1rez and 237 others, the Trump administration argued after the order <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2025\/03\/invocation-of-the-alien-enemies-act-regarding-the-invasion-of-the-united-states-by-tren-de-aragua\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">became public<\/a>, were all members of a Venezuelan gang called Tren de Aragua, which was \u201caligned with\u201d the Venezuelan government and was \u201cperpetrating\u201d an invasion of the United States.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-2\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">It was an extraordinary move: The act has only been invoked three times in American history, experts say \u2014 most recently in World War II, when it was used to detain German, Italian and Japanese people.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">And in this case, the Venezuelan men were declared \u201calien enemies\u201d and shipped to a prison with little or no opportunity to contest the allegations against them, according to migrants, their lawyers, court testimony, judges and interviews with dozens of prisoners\u2019 families conducted by The New York Times.<span class=\"css-8l6xbc evw5hdy0\">    <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The government\u2019s public declaration of the act was made on March 15 at 3:53 p.m., according to court records. The migrants were <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/17\/us\/politics\/timeline-trump-deportation-flights-el-salvador.html\" title=\"\">all on flights to El Salvador<\/a> by 7:36 p.m. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-3\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Yet most of the men do not have criminal records in the United States or elsewhere in the region, beyond immigration offenses, a New York Times investigation has found. And very few of them appear to have any clear, documented links to the Venezuelan gang. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">As they were being expelled, the detainees repeatedly begged officials to explain why they were being deported, and where they were being taken, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.dcd.278436\/gov.uscourts.dcd.278436.67.7.pdf\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">one of their lawyers told the courts<\/a>. At no point, the lawyer said, did officers indicate that the men were being sent to El Salvador or that they were removed under the Alien Enemies Act.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Alien Enemies Act gives the U.S. government broad powers to detain people during times of war, but Supreme Court rulings make clear that detainees have a right to challenge the government, and are entitled to a hearing, before their removal. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Last month, an appeals court judge criticized the lack of due process under the Trump administration. \u201cNazis got better treatment under the Alien Enemy Act,\u201d said Judge Patricia Millett. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Then, last week, all nine Supreme Court justices said that targeted individuals <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/04\/07\/us\/politics\/supreme-court-trump-venezuelan-deportations.html\" title=\"\">must be given time to contest their removal<\/a><span class=\"css-8l6xbc evw5hdy0\">  <\/span>before they\u2019re expelled \u2014 and demanded that the Trump administration provide that opportunity going forward.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-4\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In court, the administration has argued that the men can still challenge their incarceration<span class=\"css-8l6xbc evw5hdy0\">  <\/span>\u2014 but that will be difficult, if not impossible, because they are already in El Salvador, out of reach of the American justice system, with little access to lawyers or even their family members.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThey should stay there for the rest of their lives,\u201d Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary,<span class=\"css-8l6xbc evw5hdy0\">  <\/span><a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dhs.gov\/medialibrary\/assets\/video\/59155\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">said last week<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Then on Monday, President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador forcefully backed the administration during a visit to the White House. He flatly rejected the idea of returning a Maryland man who had been wrongfully deported to El Salvador, despite the Supreme Court\u2019s instructions that the United States take steps to bring back the migrant. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-5\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Trump administration claims that all of the 238 Venezuelan men now imprisoned in El Salvador are members of Tren de Aragua, a transnational gang born in Venezuela. Their expulsion, the administration argues, is part of its plan to deport the worst migrant offenders.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Officials say they used criminal records, social media, surveillance data, interviews with migrants and other information, like tattoos, to make their accusations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But a Times investigation found little evidence of any criminal background \u2014 or any association with the gang \u2014 for most of the men. In fact, the prosecutors, law enforcement officials, court documents and media reports that The Times uncovered or spoke to in multiple countries suggested that only a few of the detainees might have had any connection to Tren de Aragua.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Seeking to provide a fuller picture of who was imprisoned, a team of Times reporters and researchers ran the 238 names through three U.S. public records databases, checked backgrounds in Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Chile, scoured court documents and news articles, spoke to dozens of family members and interviewed experts on Tren de Aragua.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The findings are not comprehensive \u2014 there is no global public database to search for every accusation, and the U.S. government did not share its evidence against the detainees. But The Times\u2019s investigation provides a snapshot of who the United States sent to El Salvador. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-6\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Some of the prisoners do appear to have committed grave crimes. At least 32 of the men sent to El Salvador have faced serious criminal accusations or convictions in the United States or abroad, including a man accused of participating in an assault in Chicago, another convicted of trying to smuggle arms out of the United States and others accused of theft, strangulation, domestic battery or harboring undocumented immigrants.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">One has a homicide conviction in Venezuela, according to court documents. Another man was accused in Chile of kidnapping, drugging and raping a woman during a four-day rage. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Chilean prosecutors also believe the man is a member of Tren de Aragua, according to court documents. Investigators say they found his name and messages in the phones of other gang members.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Beyond that, The Times found that another two dozen of the men locked up in El Salvador had been accused or found guilty of lower-level offenses in the United States or elsewhere, including<span class=\"css-8l6xbc evw5hdy0\">  <\/span>trespassing, speeding in a school zone and driving an improperly registered vehicle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But for the others, including Mr. Su\u00e1rez, the musician, The Times found no evidence of a criminal background, beyond offenses related to being unauthorized migrants. Mr. Su\u00e1rez\u2019s family presented official certificates from Venezuela, Colombia and Chile \u2014 where he lived in the past \u2014 saying he had no convictions in those nations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-7\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">All 238 men will spend at least a year in El Salvador\u2019s Terrorism Confinement Center, a sprawling complex of concrete and barbed wire built by President Nayib Bukele, who has called himself \u201ca dictator\u201d and promoted the prison as a holding pen for his country\u2019s worst criminals. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-8\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The United States is paying the government of El Salvador to incarcerate the Venezuelan prisoners. On X, the Salvadoran leader called the yearlong sentence \u201c<a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/nayibbukele\/status\/1901245427216978290\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">renewable<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The U.S. government\u2019s use of the alien act is now the subject of an intense court battle between the administration and civil rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, whose lawyers say the government has not met the standard to invoke the measure: a war with or invasion by Venezuela. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-9\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The groups also argue the government has violated the migrants\u2019 rights to contest the accusation that they are members of Tren de Aragua and therefore \u201calien enemies.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In court, the government has said that it has broad powers to determine what constitutes a war or invasion, as well as to decide who is a member of the gang, which the administration recently designated a foreign terrorist organization. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">This week, the Supreme Court said the Trump administration <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/04\/07\/us\/politics\/supreme-court-trump-venezuelan-deportations.html\" title=\"\">could continue<\/a> deporting people using the Alien Enemies Act while the legal fight plays out in the courts \u2014 as long as detainees have a chance to challenge their expulsions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In a related case, the Supreme Court this month also ordered the Trump administration to take steps <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/04\/10\/us\/politics\/supreme-court-trump-deported-migrant.html\" title=\"\">to return the Maryland man<\/a>, Kilmar Abrego Garc\u00eda, who the government conceded it had sent to El Salvador in error. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In that case, a judge found that the government had decided Mr. Garc\u00eda was a member of another notorious gang, MS-13, on the basis of flimsy evidence. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-10\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">As for the prisoners accused of belonging to Tren de Aragua, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin, said that all the men sent to El Salvador are \u201care actually terrorists, human rights abusers, gangsters and more; they just don\u2019t have a rap sheet in the U.S.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWe are confident in our law enforcement\u2019s intelligence,\u201d she added. \u201cWe have a stringent law enforcement assessment in place that abides by due process.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The raids targeting Venezuelan migrants began just after Mr. Trump took office.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Officials from I.CE. seized Neri Alvarado, 25, a former psychology student, in a parking lot as he headed to work at a Dallas bakery, said his sister and his boss. Authorities picked up Francisco Garc\u00eda Casique, 24, a barber, at his home in Austin, Texas, his family said. They grabbed Gustavo Aguilera Ag\u00fcero, 27, an Uber driver, while he was working on his car in a driveway outside Dallas, according to his mother.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-11\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Su\u00e1rez, the musician, came from a once middle-class family in Venezuela, the second oldest of seven siblings. His mother was an educator, his father a bricklayer. In 2014, he joined <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2014\/02\/25\/world\/americas\/in-venezuela-middle-class-joins-protests.html\" title=\"\">mass protests<\/a> against the country\u2019s authoritarian government, said his older brother, Nelson Su\u00e1rez, 35, who now lives in the United States. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But when the country\u2019s autocratic leader, Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, tightened his grip and the Venezuelan economy spiraled into crisis, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2017\/12\/17\/world\/americas\/venezuela-children-starving.html\" title=\"\">leaving millions hungry<\/a>, the younger Mr. Su\u00e1rez left for Colombia, then Chile.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cMany times we had to run for our lives,\u201d said the older Mr. Su\u00e1rez, \u201cuntil we decided to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In Chile, the younger Mr. Su\u00e1rez installed refrigerators and began building a following as a singer, mixing rap, hip-hop and reggaeton. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cThere\u2019s no sin here; there\u2019s no sentence,\u201d he <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=nQtTKGUpqvg\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">sang<\/a> in one song, about a woman who works the streets to escape poverty. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">He met his wife, Ms. S\u00e1nchez, at a music event.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In the United States, Mr. Su\u00e1rez believed he could advance his music career, said his brother, and make money to send back to his growing family.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-12\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">He entered the United States on Sept. 3 using a Biden-era application that allowed people to present themselves at the border and ask for entry, according to documents reviewed by The Times. Officials allowed him in with an order to appear in court on March 6, where he would have the opportunity to fight removal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In North Carolina, he worked in landscaping, said his brother Nelson.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On Dec. 2, his daughter was born in Chile. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On Jan. 20, Mr. Trump became president.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On Feb. 8, Mr. Su\u00e1rez arrived at a house in Raleigh to record a music video. But U.S. immigration agents showed up and hauled him away, according to the brother. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Soon, Mr. Su\u00e1rez was in detention in Georgia, where he told his brother that an official had done a background check and reviewed his <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCmwGm_KplnQGso8cVC4-cuw\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">YouTube channel<\/a>. Mr. Su\u00e1rez told his brother that officials didn\u2019t seem to believe he was guilty of anything more than being a migrant. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-13\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cIf this had been another moment, they would have let him go,\u201d the brother said Mr. Su\u00e1rez told him. \u201cBut since we are in this madness he was going to stay in the hands of I.C.E.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In dozens of interviews, family members said that once the men were detained, U.S. officials focused on their tattoos.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Garc\u00eda, the barber, had the word \u201cpeace\u201d written on his neck, accompanied by a crown, and had the names of his mother, grandmother and sisters on his body, said his family.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Aguilera, the Uber driver, had the name of his oldest son, Santiago, also accompanied by a crown, a star, a skull with flowers and the infinity symbol, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/storage.courtlistener.com\/recap\/gov.uscourts.dcd.278436\/gov.uscourts.dcd.278436.67.19.pdf\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">according to his mother<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-14\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Alvarado, the former psychology student, had come to the United States to earn money to help his younger brother, who has autism, other disabilities and health problems, his family said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Before leaving, Mr. Alvarado had inked on his leg a rainbow ribbon associated with autism awareness. His sister said it went with Mr. Alvarado\u2019s other tattoos, which read: \u201cbrothers,\u201d \u201cfamily\u201d and \u201cself love.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-15\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In an interview, Mr. Trump\u2019s border czar, Tom Homan, said tattoos were just one factor used to determine if an individual was a member of Tren de Aragua.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-16\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cI don\u2019t say it\u2019s a major factor,\u201d he said, \u201cit\u2019s one of many.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But an internal government document made public in court filings indicates how much weight is given to tattoos.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The document, called the \u201cAlien Enemy Validation Guide,\u201d instructs immigration officials to use a point system to identify members of Tren de Aragua. Eight points makes someone a \u201cvalidated\u201d member of the group. Having tattoos associated with the gang is worth four points.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Wearing clothing associated with the gang is worth another four.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">A second government document indicates that the administration considers a crown tattoo \u2014 much like the one worn by soccer star Lionel Messi \u2014 and the \u201cJump Man\u201d symbol, popularized by Michael Jordan, to be Tren de Aragua symbols. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Clothing associated with the gang includes \u201chigh-end urban street wear.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In interviews, five Venezuelan experts on Tren de Aragua \u2014 two police officials, two scholars and a journalist \u2014 told The Times that while some transnational gangs use tattoos as indicators of membership, the Venezuelan group did not.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cIn the case of the Tren de Aragua,\u201d said Luis Izquiel, a professor of criminology at Venezuela\u2019s Central University, \u201cthere is no common pattern of similar tattoos among its members.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-17\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">While many Tren de Aragua members have tattoos, experts said, so do many young Venezuelan men.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Of the 30 men whose family members or lawyers spoke to the Times, at least 27 have tattoos.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Su\u00e1rez has 33, said his family, reflecting his urban music aesthetic. They include one of his signature phrases, they said: \u201cThe future is bright.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Trump administration began to move dozens of detained Venezuelan men to facilities in Texas roughly two weeks before invoking the Alien Enemies Act. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">On March 14 and 15, the men called their families to say that Americans officials had told them they were being deported back to Venezuela, according to dozens of interviews.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In Aragua state, in Venezuela, Mirelis Casique, the mother of Mr. Garc\u00eda, the barber, rushed to fix up his room, applying new paint and hanging new curtains. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-18\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But by March 16, the wife of Mr. Su\u00e1rez, the musician, had still not heard from him. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Her anxiety rising, she turned to Google. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cDeportation to Venezuela,\u201d she typed into the search box. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">By now, three flights carrying the 238 men had arrived in El Salvador, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/17\/us\/politics\/timeline-trump-deportation-flights-el-salvador.html\" title=\"\">despite a judge\u2019s order<\/a> that the Trump administration turn them around. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">That morning, Mr. Bukele <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/19\/world\/americas\/deportation-videos-el-salvador.html\" title=\"\">had posted a video<\/a> showing the new prisoners shackled and gripped by guards in riot gear being led into the prison. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-19\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWe removed terrorists,\u201d Mr. Homan, the U.S. border czar, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/03\/17\/us\/politics\/timeline-trump-deportation-flights-el-salvador.html\" title=\"\">said<\/a> from Washington. \u201cThat should be a celebration in this country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Online, Mr. Su\u00e1rez\u2019s wife pulled up an image of a sea of shaved, cuffed men in Salvadoran prison. She recognized one: It was her husband.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Holding her newborn, she sat down and cried.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Later, she logged in to an online I.C.E. search page<strong class=\"css-8qgvsz ebyp5n10\"> <\/strong>that had allowed her to track her husband\u2019s whereabouts in the United States. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Su\u00e1rez had suddenly disappeared from the system. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Never before, legal analysts say, has the Alien Enemies Act been used with such little due process. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">During World War II, the Department of Justice established civilian hearing boards in which \u201cregistered aliens\u201d of German, Italian and Japanese descent arrested by the government could argue they were not a danger to the nation, legal scholars said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-20\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Many scholars have criticized that process as deeply flawed; detainees were not afforded lawyers and could still be held based on hearsay and bias or racial discrimination.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But Eric L. Muller, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law, said they nevertheless provided \u201ca check\u201d on the government, adding that the majority of people who obtained a hearing under the civilian boards were released.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-21\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In Venezuela, families have gathered for marches calling for the release of loved ones. Many have tried contacting American and Salvadoran officials, but say their messages have gone unanswered.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-22\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The governments of Mr. Trump and Mr. Bukele have refused to release a list of the men confined in the terrorism center or to confirm to families who is there. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">For this article, The Times obtained an internal government list of names. <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/venezuelans-deported-el-salvador-names\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">CBS News<\/a> previously reported the names. <\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The White House has said that 137 of the men were deported under the Alien Enemies Act, while 101 others were expelled under normal immigration proceedings. All are accused of being gang members, and all are in prison in El Salvador.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In recent weeks, Venezuela\u2019s autocratic leader <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/cnnespanol.cnn.com\/2025\/03\/25\/venezuela\/video\/maduro-desaparicion-forzada-eeuu-el-salvador-deportados-cafe-tv\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">has accused<\/a> the Trump administration of engaging in a violation with a long grim history in Latin America: a large-scale \u201cforced disappearance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The United Nations <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/en\/observances\/victims-enforced-disappearance#:~:text=Definition,the%20protection%20of%20the%20law.%22\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">defines the practic<\/a>e as the deprivation of liberty \u201cfollowed by a refusal to disclose the fate or whereabouts of the persons concerned.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-23\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In a rare moment of agreement, Human Rights Watch <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2025\/04\/11\/us\/el-salvador-venezuelan-deportees-forcibly-disappeared\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">has come to the same conclusion<\/a> as the Venezuelan leader.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Su\u00e1rez\u2019s brother says his biggest fear is that \u201ctomorrow I get my brother back \u2014 in a wooden box.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">An uncle of Mr. Su\u00e1rez\u2019s, Edgar Trejo, said the family had been struggling not only to understand how the musician ended up in a faraway prison, but also the turn of events in \u201ca country as organized and as just\u201d as the United States.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Once upon a time, said Mr. Trejo, a pastor in Caracas, he believed that the United States was \u201cGod\u2019s policeman on earth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In Caracas, the family had become accustomed to people being <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/06\/19\/world\/americas\/venezuela-forced-disappearances-Maduro.html\" title=\"\">carted away<\/a> with no trial.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Now, he said, \u201cwhat we have seen here,\u201d in Venezuela \u201cwe are also seeing there.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-24\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-798hid etfikam0\">Research was contributed by <!-- -->Alain Delaqu\u00e9ri\u00e8re<!-- -->, <!-- -->Susan C. Beachy<!-- -->, <!-- -->Kirsten Noyes<!-- --> and <!-- -->Sheelagh McNeill<!-- -->. Reporting was contributed by <!-- -->Pascale Bonnefoy<!-- -->, <!-- -->Sheyla Urdaneta<!-- -->,<span class=\"css-8l6xbc evw5hdy0\">  <\/span>Mitra Taj<!-- -->, <!-- -->Alan Feuer<!-- -->,<span class=\"css-8l6xbc evw5hdy0\">  <\/span>Steven Rich<!-- -->, <!-- -->Jos\u00e9 Mar\u00eda Le\u00f3n Cabrera<!-- -->,<!-- -->Annie Correal<!-- -->,<!-- -->Miriam Jordan<!-- -->,<!-- -->Luis Ferr\u00e9-Sadurn\u00ed<!-- -->,<span class=\"css-8l6xbc evw5hdy0\">  <\/span>Ana Ley<!-- -->, <!-- -->Genevieve Glatsky<!-- --> and <!-- -->Sim\u00f3n Posada<!-- -->.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/04\/15\/world\/americas\/trump-migrants-deportations.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Nathali S\u00e1nchez last heard from her husband on March 14, when he called from a Texas detention center to say he was being deported back to Venezuela. Later that night, he texted her through a government messaging app for detainees. \u201cI love you,\u201d he wrote, \u201csoon we will be together forever.\u201d Her husband, Arturo Su\u00e1rez [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":282385,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/04\/14\/multimedia\/00int-venezuela-elsalvador-detainees-top-alt\/00int-venezuela-elsalvador-detainees-hqlp-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[173343,66212,5500,163575,9255,28795,169294,3096,3348,53,173344,3347,30911,52,1734,128437,163486],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282384"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=282384"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282384\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":282386,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282384\/revisions\/282386"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/282385"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=282384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=282384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=282384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}