Venezuelan Migrant Sues US Over El Salvador Deportation

Neiyerver Adrián Leon Rengel, a 27-year-old Venezuelan migrant, has filed a $1.3 million administrative claim against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, alleging wrongful detention and deportation to El Salvador’s CECOT prison under the Trump administration. He and over 250 other Venezuelans were deported in March after being labeled as gang members under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a rarely used law. Rengel claims he was falsely accused, abused in prison, and denied due process and family contact. His complaint is the first legal action challenging the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act for these deportations. The deported migrants were later sent back to Venezuela as part of a prisoner exchange involving the release of American detainees. Multiple lawsuits are ongoing, and the Supreme Court has recently allowed removals to proceed while further legal challenges continue.