The U.S. government sent 137 Venezuelan men to El Salvador.
Posted by Behind the Bastards, Checked
- Sources
- 3 support1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 93%
Behind the BastardsOct 3, 2026
Multiple reliable sources, including Reuters and CBS News, report that the U.S. deported 137 Venezuelan men to El Salvador's CECOT prison on March 15, 2025 under the Alien Enemies Act.
What was said
… After putting Tindaragua on the FTO list, the Trump administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act to declare that Tindaragua was engaged in a quote unquote invasion of the Us. On behalf of the Venezuelan government. It used this as pretext to send 137 Venezuelan men with seemingly no connection at all to the gang to El Salvador's Sicot prison in March, where they suffered from torture. Along similar lines, in November 2025, the Us. Listed the Cartel de los Soles as an FTO. …
Behind the Bastards · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. Reuters reports the Trump administration deported 261 people to El Salvador on March 15, and that for 137 of them the U.S. government invoked the Alien Enemies Act.[1]
Supports. CBS News reports U.S. District Judge James Boasberg found that the 137 men were removed to El Salvador on March 15 under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act.[2]
Supports. NPR reports the government sent several planeloads of alleged gang members to El Salvador after invoking the Alien Enemies Act, including 137 people under the statute, according to the White House.[3]
Context. The men were later returned to Venezuela in a prisoner exchange, and a federal judge ruled in December 2025 that they were denied due process; this later development does not affect the claim about the 2025 transfer.[3][4]
Sources
4 sources: 1 fact-checker, 3 tier 2
- 1Explainer: What is El Salvador's mega-prison holding ...reuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2Trump administration must give due process to Venezuelan men ...cbsnews.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
- 3Alien Enemies Act deportations violated due process, judge ...npr.org · tier 2 · cited for: supports, context
- 4Venezuelans sent to Salvadoran prison can be returned to U.S. with ...nbcnews.com · tier 2 · cited for: context
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
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