A group of 252 Venezuelan migrants who were deported to the maximum‑security CECOT prison in El Salvador and later repatriated to Venezuela is seeking guarantees to attend a hearing ordered by a U.S. federal judge.
The group demands that U.S. authorities create safe conditions allowing the migrants to participate without risking their integrity, and requests that the return be dignified and that deportation protocols be reviewed.
Federal Judge James Boasberg ordered the hearing and confirmed that the Trump administration denied due process to roughly 200 migrants sent to high‑security custody in El Salvador.
“We hope that this U.S. judge’s ruling will begin a just and humane solution to our situation and set a precedent for protecting millions of migrants,” the group said.
One of the deportees, Norberto Aguilar, recounted being beaten at CECOT and said that while the Maduro government has provided psychological therapy, reintegration remains difficult because “the physical wounds heal but the mental ones do not.”
The Venezuelan president has offered psychological support, but the challenge of reintegration continues.
