The United States has transferred 238 migrants to what is considered one of the harshest prisons globally, yet documents indicate that most of them do not have a criminal history.
Immediately after taking office as the 47th President of the United States in January, Donald Trump quickly signed several executive orders aimed at addressing the presence of millions of migrants residing in the country.
One particular order, titled ‘Protecting the American people against invasion’, accused the Biden administration of permitting ‘millions of illegal aliens’ to cross the borders—individuals described as ‘significant threats to national security and public safety, committing vile and heinous acts against innocent Americans’.
“Others are engaged in hostile activities, including espionage, economic espionage, and preparations for terror-related activities,” the order further states.
In response, Trump’s administration deported over 200 individuals labeled as ‘criminals’ from Texas to a high-security mega-prison in El Salvador.
Trump justified the mass deportation by invoking a rarely used law from World War II, the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, arguing that the United States was ‘under invasion’ by immigrants linked to organized crime.
While US District Judge James E. Boasberg temporarily stopped the deportations, some flights were reportedly already en route.
A total of 238 Venezuelan migrants were reportedly transported from Texas to the Center for Terrorism Confinement (CECOT) in El Salvador, known as the largest and harshest prison in the Americas, which houses some of the most dangerous criminals, including gang members and mass murderers.
It has now come to light that the majority of those deported reportedly lack a criminal record.
CBS News’ 60 Minutes reports that the names of the Venezuelan individuals sent to El Salvador last month have not been made public, but the program obtained government documents listing them and detailing any criminal records.
By cross-referencing domestic and international court filings, arrest records, and news reports, 60 Minutes claims that a staggering 179 of the men, which accounts for 75 percent, had no criminal records before being sent to the prison.
According to 60 Minutes, only about ‘at least 22 percent’ of the individuals on the list have criminal records in either the US or abroad, and the ‘vast majority’ of offenses are non-violent, such as trespassing or theft.
Of the 22 percent, approximately ‘a dozen’ are accused of serious crimes like murder, rape, assault, and kidnapping.
“For three percent of those deported, it is unclear whether a criminal record exists,” the report notes.
A spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security told the outlet that many without criminal records ‘are actually terrorists, human rights abusers, gangsters, and more. They just don’t have a rap sheet in the US’.