Salvadoran families seek missing deportees from United States

Families of Salvadoran nationals deported from the United States are searching for information regarding the whereabouts and legal status of relatives who have been missing for over a year. The individuals were part of a migration agreement implemented following Donald Trump’s return to the White House in early 2025.

According to investigations, these deportees were transported to El Salvador on flights that also carried 252 Venezuelans. While the Venezuelan nationals were reportedly repatriated to their home country four months later, the Salvadoran deportees were initially placed in the Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot), a high-security prison.

Human rights organizations indicate that approximately 36 Salvadorans were included in these flights, though the governments of the United States and El Salvador did not initially disclose these figures. Families have successfully identified 11 of the men, but many others remain unaccounted for. Relatives have described the situation as “forced disappearance,” noting that the detainees have been held without legal processes or access to lawyers. Court documents revealed that the United States agreed to provide $4.76 million to El Salvador to assist in maintaining the deportees at the Cecot facility.