Migrants deported from US to Salvadoran prison remain under US control, Salvadoran officials tell UN

By MARK SHERMAN Associated Press WASHINGTON AP The ruling body of El Salvador has acknowledged to United Nations investigators that the Trump administration maintains control of the Venezuelan men who were deported from the U S to a notorious Salvadoran prison contradicting residents statements by functionaries in both countries The revelation was contained in court filings Monday by lawyers for more than transients who are seeking to challenge their deportations to El Salvador s mega-prison known as the Terrorism Confinement Center or CECOT The episode is among several challenging President Donald Trump s immigration crackdown FILE The exterior of the Terrorist Confinement Center as Homeland Assurance Secretary Kristi Noem arrives in Tecoluca El Salvador March AP Photo Alex Brandon File In this context the jurisdiction and legal responsibility for these persons lie exclusively with the competent foreign officers Salvadoran executives wrote in response to queries from the unit of the U N Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights The U N group has been looking into the fate of the men who were sent to El Salvador from the United States in mid-March even after a U S judge had ordered the planes that were carrying them to be turned around The Trump administration has argued that it is powerless to return the men noting that they are beyond the reach of U S courts and no longer have access to due process rights or other U S constitutional guarantees But lawyers for the displaced persons stated the U N overview shows otherwise El Salvador has approved what we and everyone else understood it is the United States that controls what happens to the Venezuelans languishing at CECOT Remarkably the U S governing body didn t provide this information to us or the court American Civil Liberties Union lawyer Lee Gelernt noted in an email Skye Perryman CEO and president of Democracy Forward commented the documents show that the administration has not been honest with the court or the American people The ACLU and Democracy Forward are both representing the displaced persons Related Articles Debate erupts over role job cuts played in weather forecasts ahead of deadly Texas floods Musk says he s forming a new political party after split with Trump over tax cuts law Trump to put tariffs on Japan and South Korea new import taxes on five other nations Trump and Netanyahu may take a accomplishment lap on Iran but the Gaza war looms over their meeting Pressure from Trump for bargain deals before Wednesday deadline but hints of more time for talks A Justice Department spokesperson declined to comment White House and Homeland Assurance Department authorities did not directly respond to requests for comment The administration in March agreed to pay million for El Salvador to house expatriates The deal sparked immediate disagreement when Trump invoked an th century wartime law the Alien Enemies Act to fast remove men it has accused of being members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua In a related event the administration mistakenly sent Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the same prison despite a judge s order prohibiting the Maryland man from being sent to El Salvador The administration initially resisted court orders to bring him back to the U S saying he was no longer in American custody Eventually Abrego Garcia was returned to the U S where he now faces criminal charges of human smuggling while legal battles continue Last month a coalition of immigrant rights groups sued to invalidate the prison deal with El Salvador arguing that the arrangement to move migrant detainees outside the reach of U S courts violates the Constitution