Rights Groups Warn Salvadorans Deported From U.S. Vanish Into Bukele Prisons

Human rights groups say Salvadorans deported from the United States are disappearing into El Salvador's prisons under President Nayib Bukele.

Rights groups say many deportees placed in the CECOT mega-prison cannot be located and relatives and lawyers have been unable to contact them. Reports say more than 260 migrants sent by the Trump administration were taken to CECOT and now face uncertain fates amid abuse allegations. Human rights groups note about 90% of Salvadorans deported from the US had no US criminal record, raising concerns about wrongful detention. Their fears are framed by El Salvador's state of exception that led to mass arrests, with more than 33,000 people detained who were not previously profiled as gang members. The crackdown coincides with a steep drop in the country's homicide rate, from 103 per 100,000 in 2015 to about 1.3 per 100,000 in 2025.

Public reaction is mixed but often supportive at home, where many praise President Bukele's hard line as necessary to curb gang violence. On social media some users argue the measures are essential, while others warn deportation and mass arrest policies mirror one another and risk human rights violations. Supporters point to prisoners doing public work like beach cleaning as evidence of reform, while rights advocates highlight secrecy and alleged abuse.

Coverage has shifted from early headlines that focused on a dramatic fall in murders and Bukele's soaring approval ratings. New reporting by outlets including the Washington Post and NPR has probed the secrecy around CECOT, the fate of deported migrants, and allegations of arbitrary detention and abuse. That shift has reframed the debate, forcing a harder look at trade-offs between public security gains and the erosion of civil liberties.