Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chávez on Wednesday urged the government of Nayib Bukele to provide information about the 252 Venezuelan migrants deported from the United States, who have been imprisoned and held incommunicado in El Salvador for nearly four months.
The migrants were sent to El Salvador by the Trump administration beginning March 15, accused—without evidence—of being members of the Tren de Aragua criminal gang. They are currently held in total isolation in Bukele’s maximum-security prison, built for gang members, with no access to family or legal representation. The Salvadoran government has not disclosed any details about the detainees, not even their identities.
“Certainly, someone who is detained has a right to basic protections established under international law—such as knowing where they are and how they are doing,” Rosa Chávez said to reporters at San Francisco Church in San Salvador. The Catholic Church had already spoken out on April 20, when Archbishop José Luis Escobar urged authorities not to turn the country into “a giant international prison.”
Now, the Cardinal insists that “even the worst criminals” have rights and called for authorities to “inform families of their situation.” “We cry this out with all our strength,” he added. “It’s an injustice that must be corrected.” Attorneys and relatives of the Venezuelans have attempted to visit and obtain information, but Salvadoran authorities have remained silent.
“I believe that when a mistake is made, it should be acknowledged,” the Cardinal said, referring to the decision to keep the detainees in isolation. “Not acknowledging it only makes the mistake worse.” The Cardinal also condemned the reported exile of around 40 Salvadoran journalists, who have allegedly faced harassment, according to the Journalists Association of El Salvador (APES).
“Fear has taken root in this country,” Rosa Chávez stated in response to the APES report. “How do we overcome fear, how do we protect the right to speak without becoming victims? That’s the challenge,” he said. “But the reality is clear. The world is seeing it more and more. I believe truth will eventually prevail—because lies don’t go far.”
Rosa Chávez also called for an end to the state of emergency that has been in effect in El Salvador for over three years, which permits detentions without court orders in the name of combating gangs
