U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Wednesday visited the high-security prison in El Salvador where Venezuelans the Trump administration alleges are gang members have been held since they were deported.
Noem's visit to the prison, where inmates are crammed into cells and never allowed to leave, comes as the Trump administration seeks to show it is deporting people it describes as the "worst of the worst."
The White House is arguing in federal court that it was justified in sending the Venezuelans to El Salvador, while human rights activists say authorities sent them to a prison that violates their human rights.
In prison, Noem visited an area that houses some of the Venezuelans accused of being gang members.
In a cell block holding Salvadoran prisoners, about a dozen men were lined up by guards in front of the cells and forced to remove their shirts and masks.
The men were heavily tattooed, some with the letters MS, for the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang, on their chests, a gang that originated in Los Angeles in 1990 and was recently classified by the US government as a "global terrorist organization".
After listening to Salvadoran officials, Noem turned her back on the cell and recorded a video message.
If an immigrant commits a crime, "that's one of the consequences they could face," Noem said. "First and foremost, do not come to our country illegally. You will be deported and prosecuted. But please know that this facility is one tool in our toolkit that we will use if you commit crimes against the American people."
No comments:
Post a Comment