U.S. judge orders plan for Venezuelans sent to El Salvador mega-prison

U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg ruled that 137 Venezuelan men deported under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 and held at El Salvador’s CECOT were denied due process.

In a written opinion, the judge said the men remained in the legal custody of the United States while detained in El Salvador because the facility held them at Washington’s request and the U.S. government paid for their detention. He concluded the group should have been given a chance to challenge claims that they were members of the Tren de Aragua gang.

The court said the administration could comply by facilitating the men’s return to the United States or by offering hearings that meet due process standards, even if conducted outside the country. The government was given until January 5 to submit its compliance plan.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security criticized the ruling, saying the administration would continue to defend its actions and arguing that U.S. courts lack jurisdiction once deportees are transferred abroad.

The 137 men are part of more than 200 Venezuelans sent to CECOT in March, shortly after President Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act. All of the Venezuelans held at the prison were released this summer and returned to Venezuela as part of a U.S.-brokered prisoner exchange.

Human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and Cristosal, said in a recent report that the detainees faced arbitrary detention and mistreatment while imprisoned.

The men are represented in court by the American Civil Liberties Union, whose counsel welcomed the order, saying it allows former detainees to contest the allegations made against them.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported on Donald Trump’s plans to send U.S. citizens to El Salvador prisons.