A major right-leaning think tank has released a shocking report, revealing that at least 50 Venezuelan men who entered the U.S. legally were deported under the Trump administration to a notoriously harsh prison in El Salvador.
And the findings are even more troubling…
According to a new report from the Cato Institute, “The government classifies all of them as ‘illegal aliens.’ But out of the 90 cases where the entry method is known, 50 individuals stated they entered the U.S. legally with prior government authorization at official border checkpoints.”
The report emphasizes that the total number, not just the proportion, is what’s truly alarming. “Dozens of lawful immigrants lost their legal status and were imprisoned in El Salvador,” the libertarian think tank wrote.
Cato’s review found that at least 50 of these deportations involved men who entered the country through legal channels. However, since only part of the data was analyzed, the actual number could be even higher.
Of the 50 men:
- 21 were admitted after presenting themselves at a port of entry,
- 24 were paroled into the country,
- 4 arrived as refugees,
- and 1 came on a tourist visa.
The report also challenges a common narrative that most deported individuals were gang-affiliated criminals. Cato points out that “at least 42 were labeled gang members primarily because of their tattoos—though Venezuelan gangs typically don’t use tattoos for identification, making such labeling unreliable.”
Moreover, only two of the legally admitted deportees had any criminal convictions in the U.S., and both were for minor drug offenses.
Since most of the individuals were taken into custody shortly before deportation, Cato concludes, “there was no opportunity for them to establish gang affiliations or commit crimes within the U.S.”
This report raises serious concerns about potential abuses of executive power during the Trump administration and highlights the need for accountability and due process in immigration enforcement.
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