Between March and April 2025, the Trump administration deported 238-252 Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador's Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) mega-prison using the Alien Enemies Act. Internal DHS data revealed that only 32 had been convicted of U.S. crimes, with most convictions being for nonviolent offenses, and more than half had no U.S. criminal record at all, having only violated immigration laws. Approximately 75% of deportees had no criminal records in the United States, and at least 27 were never ordered removed despite pending immigration court hearings. Detainees were held incommunicado with no public list of names, facing reports of torture, beatings, sexual violence, and inhumane conditions including prolonged solitary confinement. The U.S. paid $6 million to use the facility for housing 300 migrants. A federal judge initially ordered the planes turned around and ruled the deportations violated due process. After approximately four months, the Venezuelans were transferred to Venezuela as part of a prisoner exchange, though the administration reported losing track of 137 migrants. In 2026, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to facilitate the return of over 130 of these men to the United States for their immigration proceedings.