Migrants detained in Texas send SOS message for fear of being deported to El Salvador

At the Bluebonnet Detention Center in Anson, Texas, a group of Venezuelan migrants have staged a desperate plea for help. Last April 28, 31 men stood in the center’s courtyard to spell out an “SOS” message with their bodies, which was captured by a Reuters drone. The detainees, trapped in legal and political limbo, fear they may soon be deported to El Salvador’s infamous CECOT maximum security prison, a facility known for its harsh conditions and controversial mass detentions.

According to the news agency, on April 18, dozens of detainees received notices accusing them of being affiliated with the violent Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. These notices, issued under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, would serve to justify deportation without the usual immigration court process. Many of the men refused to sign the documents, and claimed they had no ties to the gang. Nonetheless, they were nearly deported that same day. They were sent to a nearby airport before being unexpectedly returned to Bluebonnet. That same night, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a temporary halt to their deportations.

Their fate remains uncertain. If the Supreme Court lifts the block, the detainees could be sent to CECEOT, where the Trump administration has already deported more than 200 Venezuelans and Salvadorans. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has not commented on the deportations halted by the Supreme Court. The privately run Bluebonnet facility, which holds an average of more than 800 detainees per day, has become the center of a growing legal and human rights controversy.

Among the detainees is Diover Millan, 24, who was transferred from Georgia to Texas in mid-April. Although U.S. authorities claim he is a documented member of Tren de Aragua, they have not provided any evidence. Millán has no known criminal record and had been working in construction. His wife told Reuters that detainees in Millán’s dormitory now sleep in shifts for fear of being suddenly deported.

Another detainee, Jeferson Escalona, 19, was arrested in Texas after a police chase and later detained at Guantánamo before arriving at Bluebonnet. Authorities claim he admitted he was a gang member, but Escalona insists he was a police officer in Venezuela and is being confused with someone else. He has applied to return voluntarily to Venezuela, but his petition has been denied.

An immigration official who visited the facility on April 26 explained to the detainees that deportation under the Alien Enemies Act bypasses immigration court proceedings. In a recording of the visit, detainees asked how they could be labeled “enemies” without a criminal record or gang membership.

Advocates and lawyers are rushing to intervene in the detainees’ cases. Millán, who is seeking asylum, has a court hearing scheduled for May 1, if he is not deported before then.

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