Congress Must Investigate Torture of Migrants Sent by US to El Salvador

Urgent Need for Oversight I urge you to convene immediate oversight hearings into the severe human rights abuses inflicted on Venezuelan migrants deported by the United States to a prison in El Salvador. Multiple credible investigations show that men sent there suffered torture, beatings, sexual violence, medical neglect, and prolonged incommunicado detention. Congress must determine how these abuses occurred and which U.S. officials authorized or enabled them. Documented Abuse and Indignities Survivors consistently report being beaten, forced into painful restraint positions for hours, shot at close range with rubber bullets, denied medical care, and subjected to sexual violence. Some were told they would leave only in body bags. Conditions included overcrowded cells, metal bunks without mattresses, and water sources used for both bathing and drinking. Many survivors now exhibit symptoms consistent with trauma and psychological injury. Failure of Due Process Many deported individuals had not been convicted of violent crimes and some had no criminal history at all. Their names were withheld, legal access denied, and the use of summary deportation procedures prevented meaningful review. The United States sent them to a prison system publicly known to practice torture, creating direct U.S. complicity in foreseeable harm. Congressional Responsibilities Hearings should identify the officials who approved these removals, determine whether legal authority was misused, require the release of all internal memoranda, and evaluate whether federal agencies ignored known risks of torture. Congress should also assess whether the United States violated domestic or international prohibitions on aiding or enabling torture abroad. Need for Accountability and Safeguards Congress must ensure that such actions cannot recur. That requires public fact finding, clear limits on deportations to dangerous foreign facilities, and accountability for decisions that led to these abuses.