On Wednesday, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem toured the high-security prison in El Salvador where Venezuelans accused by the Trump administration of gang affiliations are being held following their removal from the United States. The visit included an inspection of two overcrowded cell blocks, the armory, and an isolation unit.
Noem’s visit to the prison—characterized by cramped cells with no windows—comes amidst the Trump administration’s efforts to illustrate their commitment to deporting individuals labeled as the “worst of the worst.”
The Trump administration is currently defending its actions in federal court by asserting that sending the Venezuelans to El Salvador was justified despite activists claiming that officials have dispatched them to a facility notorious for human rights violations with minimal proof of any gang involvement.
Noem skillfully avoided answering questions from reporters regarding the potential indefinite detention of the Venezuelan deportees and whether they could be returned to the U.S. if mandated by a court. “We’re going to let the courts play out,” she remarked to the press after the tour.
She observed an area housing some of the Venezuelans labeled as gang members. Inside the stifling building, the men, dressed in white T-shirts and shorts, silently stared from their cells and began chanting loudly as she departed.
In a cell block designated for Salvadoran inmates, approximately a dozen were lined up by guards and instructed to remove their T-shirts and face masks. Many of the inmates were heavily tattooed, with some displaying MS (Mara Salvatrucha gang) tattoos across their torsos.
After engaging with Salvadoran officials, Noem turned away from the cell and recorded a message for video. She stated, “If an immigrant commits a crime, this is one of the consequences you could face. Do not come to our country illegally. You will be removed and prosecuted. This facility is one of the tools in our toolkit that we will utilize if you commit crimes against the American people.”
Noem also met with El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, a populist leader who has garnered right-wing support in the U.S. for his aggressive stance against gang violence, despite concerns about democratic and due process implications.
“This unprecedented partnership we have with El Salvador will serve as a model for collaboration with other nations,” Noem told reporters on Wednesday.
Since taking office, Noem has been a prominent figure in immigration enforcement efforts, participating in operations, riding alongside Border Patrol agents, and appearing in media campaigns urging individuals in the country illegally to leave voluntarily.
Noem’s visit to El Salvador is part of a three-day itinerary that will also include stops in Colombia and Mexico.
The Venezuelans were expelled from the U.S. this month following Trump invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, claiming that the Tren de Aragua gang was invading the country. This Act grants the president wartime powers, allowing for the deportation of noncitizens without a court hearing.
An appeals court ruled on Wednesday to uphold an order preventing further deportations of Venezuelan immigrants to El Salvador under this law.
A critical question regarding the deportees’ status revolves around when and how they might be released from the prison, known as the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), as they are not serving formal sentences. They are no longer listed in the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s online detainee locator and have not been scheduled to appear before a judge in El Salvador.
The Trump administration refers to these individuals as the “worst of the worst,” but has not disclosed the identities of those deported or provided evidence of gang affiliations.
Families of some deportees have firmly denied any connections to gangs. Both the Venezuelan government and a group known as the Families of Immigrants Committee in Venezuela have engaged legal representation to advocate for the release of those detained in El Salvador. A lawyer representing about 30 Venezuelans stated that their clients are not gang members and carry no criminal records.
The U.S. government has acknowledged that many of the deportees do not possess such records.
Just as flights took off on March 15, a federal judge issued a verbal order to temporarily halt deportations, commanding planes to return to the U.S.
The Trump administration contended that the judge’s verbal direction lacked efficacy, asserting that only his written order needed adherence and that it could not be applied to aircraft already en route.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that around 261 individuals were deported on those flights, including 137 under the Alien Enemies Act.
Bukele inaugurated the prison in 2023, making the harsh conditions of El Salvador’s prisons a hallmark of his campaign against crime. The facility features eight expansive pavilions capable of accommodating up to 40,000 inmates, with each cell housing 65 to 70 prisoners.
Inmates are prohibited from receiving visitors, and no educational or vocational programs are available.
El Salvador has maintained a lack of diplomatic relations with Venezuela since 2019, leaving the imprisoned Venezuelans without consular assistance from their government.
Footage released by the Salvadoran government following the arrival of the deportees depicted men disembarking from planes onto a tarmac guarded by officers in riot gear. The men were shackled at the wrists and ankles, struggling to walk as they were forced to lower their heads.
Upon arrival at the prison, they were shown kneeling on the ground while having their heads shaved before donning the facility’s uniform—knee-length shorts, a T-shirt, socks, and rubber clogs—before being placed into their cells.
For the past three years, El Salvador has operated under a state of emergency that suspends fundamental rights as Bukele continues a comprehensive campaign against the nation’s influential street gangs. Over this period, approximately 84,000 individuals have been arrested on charges of gang affiliation and imprisoned, frequently without due process.
Bukele proposed to house U.S. deportees in the prison during Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s visit in February.
During Wednesday’s tour, El Salvador’s Justice Minister Gustavo Villatoro showcased a cell where Salvadorans have remained since its opening. “No one anticipates that these individuals will reintegrate into society,” he stated.
