SOS: Migrants held in Texas fear notorious El Salvador prison
6 Min Read
Venezuelan detainees in Texas accused of gang affiliation face possible deportation to El Salvador's CECOT prison under orders from the Department of Homeland Security.
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A drone captured Venezuelans arranging themselves to spell S.O.S. on the dirt at Bluebonnet detention center, Texas (Paul Ratje/Reuters)
Venezuelan detainees held at the Bluebonnet immigrant detention center in Anson, Texas, sent an urgent plea to the outside world this week. With a drone overhead, 31 men stood in formation on April 28, spelling out the letters “S-O-S” in the dirt yard of the facility.
The gesture came just days after dozens of detainees, primarily Venezuelan nationals, were served with notices from US immigration officials alleging they were affiliated with the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and thus subject to deportation. Families of several detainees say these claims are unsubstantiated, and the men deny any gang affiliation.
Seven of the accused were scheduled for deportation on April 18. They were transported toward Abilene Regional Airport, only to be returned hours later to Bluebonnet after a last-minute intervention by the Supreme Court, which temporarily blocked their removal.
The deportation orders were issued under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, a US wartime-era law currently being invoked to justify expedited removals. If the Supreme Court lifts the block, detainees could be transferred to El Salvador's CECOT prison (Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo), a maximum-security facility known for harsh conditions.
The Department of Homeland Security has reportedly sent at least 250 Venezuelans to CECOT under this statute. A spokesperson declined to comment on the halted deportations. For the detainees still at Bluebonnet, legal uncertainty remains.
Meanwhile, advocates say the men are terrified and sleeping in shifts to monitor for sudden removal.
'False allegations' say Venezuelan migrants
Among those accused is Diover Millan, 24, who was transferred from the Stewart detention center in Georgia in mid-April. He had been working in construction before being arrested in the Atlanta suburbs in March. The Department of Homeland Security claims Millan is a “documented” member of Tren de Aragua, but has not presented any evidence.
Another detainee, 19-year-old Jeferson Escalona, was previously a police officer in Venezuela. According to officials, he was arrested by local Texas police in January and transferred to Bluebonnet after being held in the US migrant facility in Guantanamo Bay. DHS labeled him a “self-admitted” gang member. Escalona denies the accusation, saying US authorities misinterpreted photos on his phone.
“They’re making false accusations about me,” he said in a phone interview. “I don’t belong to any gang. I just want to go back to Venezuela. I fear for my life here.”
US connected migrants to gangs based on clothing, tattoos
New court papers revealed in April that the Trump administration accused migrants of belonging to criminal gangs based on their clothing or tattoos.
At the time, lawyers for Venezuelan migrants had produced a government document titled the "Alien Enemy Validation Guide," which laid out a series of criteria that administration officials are required to meet to designate the men as members of Tren de Aragua.
The document outlines a points-based system used to determine if migrants are affiliated with the Tren de Aragua gang, with eight points sufficient to trigger deportation under the Alien Enemies Act. A self-confession results in an automatic 10 points, while officials may assign four points for having tattoos associated with the gang and another four for wearing symbols, clothing, or markings deemed gang-related.
The system also allows officials to consider wearing "high-end urban streetwear", including Chicago Bulls or Michael Jordan apparel, as grounds for suspecting gang affiliation.
Fear of transfer to El Salvador's CECOT prison
Family members say detainees are under immense stress following the attempted deportations. Millan’s wife described how the men in his dormitory are afraid to go into the yard, fearing they’ll be put on a bus to El Salvador’s CECOT prison.
“He is desperate,” she said. “He told me that when he walked out onto the field, he sat down and looked at the sky and asked God to get him out of there soon.”
Food access has also emerged as a concern. Several families said detainees are not receiving sufficient meals. Millan told his wife that he tries to sleep more so that he doesn’t feel hungry. A spokesperson for the Management and Training Corporation, which operates the Bluebonnet facility, insisted that all detainees receive meals that meet daily caloric standards set by a certified dietitian.
Last month, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele announced that 238 members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua were transferred to CECOT, the country’s high-security prison, under a one-year renewable term as part of a deal with the United States.
"The United States will pay a very low fee for them, but a high one for us," Bukele stated on X.
Today, the first 238 members of the Venezuelan criminal organization, Tren de Aragua, arrived in our country. They were immediately transferred to CECOT, the Terrorism Confinement Center, for a period of one year (renewable).
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) March 16, 2025
The United States will pay a very low fee for them,… pic.twitter.com/tfsi8cgpD6
He added at the time that the transfer aligns with his Zero Idleness program, aimed at making El Salvador’s prison system self-sustainable through inmate labor.
Bukele also confirmed the arrival of 23 MS-13 members, including two leaders wanted by Salvadoran authorities, noting the move would bolster intelligence operations against organized crime:
ACLU, families challenge ICE detention tactics
The American Civil Liberties Union is among several advocacy groups fighting to stop the deportations. Lawyers are working to ensure detainees have representation in ongoing immigration court proceedings. Millan has a pending asylum case with a hearing set for May 1, unless he is deported beforehand.
ICE and the DHS maintain that removals under the Alien Enemies Act operate separately from the immigration court system. In an audio recording obtained by Reuters, a DHS official told detainees, “If he gets removed under the Alien Enemies Act, then that court date doesn’t exist, he’ll never have that court date.”
