SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
As seen through fencing, migrants--including a young child--stand while being detained by Department of Homeland Security police after crossing to the U.S. side of the U.S.-Mexico border barrier, on June 27, 2019 in El Paso, Texas. (Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images)
US Has Knowingly Sent Migrants and Refugees to Danger in El Salvador for Years: Report
"Absolutely horrific."
Feb 04, 2020
A new report from Human Rights Watch detailing the dangers faced by people sent to El Salvador from the U.S.--including rape, murder, and torture--calls on American authorities to have more compassion for migrants and refugees.
The study, "Deported to Danger," was released Wednesday morning and delves into data from people deported to El Salvador despite the dangers by both the President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama administrations.
"Absolutely horrific," tweeted journalist Aviva Stahl of the findings.
Human Rights Watch describes in the study's summary the horrors faced by some of the people sent to El Salvador from the U.S. border since 2013.
"In researching this report, we identified or investigated 138 cases of Salvadorans killed since 2013 after deportation from the U.S.," the report reads.
As the Guardian reported:
El Salvador, the most densely populated country in Central America with just over 6 million citizens, has one of the world's highest rates of homicide and sexual violence. In addition, almost 11,000 people were registered missing during the last decade--more than the number of people who disappeared during the 1979-1992 civil war.
Years of danger in the Latin American country have led to an exodus of people seeking safety and shelter. Of those fleeing the violence, many head to the U.S.--and are deported once they are caught.
"Salvadorans are facing murder, rape, and other violence after deportation in shockingly high numbers, while the U.S. government narrows Salvadorans' access to asylum and turns a blind eye to the deadly results of its callous policies," report co-author Alison Parker said in a statement.
American officials know about the dangers but appear not to care, said report co-author Elizabeth Kennedy.
"The United States has to have known this was happening because the cases were publicly reported and more importantly because Salvadorans make it clear in asylum applications that this is their reality," said Kennedy. "But this reality is ignored or not believed by U.S. authorities."
As the report explains, Trump's harsh anti-immigration policies have made things harder for people fleeing the violence in El Salvador:
Salvadoran asylum seekers are also increasingly at risk of deportation and return. The Trump administration has pursued a series of policy initiatives aimed at making it harder for people fleeing their countries to seek asylum in the United States by separating children from their parents, limiting the number of people processed daily at official border crossings, prolonging administrative detention, imposing fees on the right to seek asylum, extending from 180 days to one year the bar on work authorization after filing an asylum claim, barring asylum for those who transited another country before entering the United States, requiring asylum seekers to await their hearings in Mexico, where many face dangers, and attempting to narrow asylum.
"We can say that deporting people to these areas is very difficult and dangerous," Salvadoran Migration Institute executive director Cesar Rios told the Associated Press.
The report calls for the U.S. to reverse recent restrictions on migration and refugee rights, as well as to expand the prerequisites for asylum.
"Instead of closing the door to the thousands of Salvadorans fleeing their homeland, the United States should provide them with full and fair asylum procedures and dignified treatment," said Parker. "Before deporting Salvadorans, U.S. authorities should take into account the extraordinary risks of harm they may face upon return."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
A new report from Human Rights Watch detailing the dangers faced by people sent to El Salvador from the U.S.--including rape, murder, and torture--calls on American authorities to have more compassion for migrants and refugees.
The study, "Deported to Danger," was released Wednesday morning and delves into data from people deported to El Salvador despite the dangers by both the President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama administrations.
"Absolutely horrific," tweeted journalist Aviva Stahl of the findings.
Human Rights Watch describes in the study's summary the horrors faced by some of the people sent to El Salvador from the U.S. border since 2013.
"In researching this report, we identified or investigated 138 cases of Salvadorans killed since 2013 after deportation from the U.S.," the report reads.
As the Guardian reported:
El Salvador, the most densely populated country in Central America with just over 6 million citizens, has one of the world's highest rates of homicide and sexual violence. In addition, almost 11,000 people were registered missing during the last decade--more than the number of people who disappeared during the 1979-1992 civil war.
Years of danger in the Latin American country have led to an exodus of people seeking safety and shelter. Of those fleeing the violence, many head to the U.S.--and are deported once they are caught.
"Salvadorans are facing murder, rape, and other violence after deportation in shockingly high numbers, while the U.S. government narrows Salvadorans' access to asylum and turns a blind eye to the deadly results of its callous policies," report co-author Alison Parker said in a statement.
American officials know about the dangers but appear not to care, said report co-author Elizabeth Kennedy.
"The United States has to have known this was happening because the cases were publicly reported and more importantly because Salvadorans make it clear in asylum applications that this is their reality," said Kennedy. "But this reality is ignored or not believed by U.S. authorities."
As the report explains, Trump's harsh anti-immigration policies have made things harder for people fleeing the violence in El Salvador:
Salvadoran asylum seekers are also increasingly at risk of deportation and return. The Trump administration has pursued a series of policy initiatives aimed at making it harder for people fleeing their countries to seek asylum in the United States by separating children from their parents, limiting the number of people processed daily at official border crossings, prolonging administrative detention, imposing fees on the right to seek asylum, extending from 180 days to one year the bar on work authorization after filing an asylum claim, barring asylum for those who transited another country before entering the United States, requiring asylum seekers to await their hearings in Mexico, where many face dangers, and attempting to narrow asylum.
"We can say that deporting people to these areas is very difficult and dangerous," Salvadoran Migration Institute executive director Cesar Rios told the Associated Press.
The report calls for the U.S. to reverse recent restrictions on migration and refugee rights, as well as to expand the prerequisites for asylum.
"Instead of closing the door to the thousands of Salvadorans fleeing their homeland, the United States should provide them with full and fair asylum procedures and dignified treatment," said Parker. "Before deporting Salvadorans, U.S. authorities should take into account the extraordinary risks of harm they may face upon return."
A new report from Human Rights Watch detailing the dangers faced by people sent to El Salvador from the U.S.--including rape, murder, and torture--calls on American authorities to have more compassion for migrants and refugees.
The study, "Deported to Danger," was released Wednesday morning and delves into data from people deported to El Salvador despite the dangers by both the President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama administrations.
"Absolutely horrific," tweeted journalist Aviva Stahl of the findings.
Human Rights Watch describes in the study's summary the horrors faced by some of the people sent to El Salvador from the U.S. border since 2013.
"In researching this report, we identified or investigated 138 cases of Salvadorans killed since 2013 after deportation from the U.S.," the report reads.
As the Guardian reported:
El Salvador, the most densely populated country in Central America with just over 6 million citizens, has one of the world's highest rates of homicide and sexual violence. In addition, almost 11,000 people were registered missing during the last decade--more than the number of people who disappeared during the 1979-1992 civil war.
Years of danger in the Latin American country have led to an exodus of people seeking safety and shelter. Of those fleeing the violence, many head to the U.S.--and are deported once they are caught.
"Salvadorans are facing murder, rape, and other violence after deportation in shockingly high numbers, while the U.S. government narrows Salvadorans' access to asylum and turns a blind eye to the deadly results of its callous policies," report co-author Alison Parker said in a statement.
American officials know about the dangers but appear not to care, said report co-author Elizabeth Kennedy.
"The United States has to have known this was happening because the cases were publicly reported and more importantly because Salvadorans make it clear in asylum applications that this is their reality," said Kennedy. "But this reality is ignored or not believed by U.S. authorities."
As the report explains, Trump's harsh anti-immigration policies have made things harder for people fleeing the violence in El Salvador:
Salvadoran asylum seekers are also increasingly at risk of deportation and return. The Trump administration has pursued a series of policy initiatives aimed at making it harder for people fleeing their countries to seek asylum in the United States by separating children from their parents, limiting the number of people processed daily at official border crossings, prolonging administrative detention, imposing fees on the right to seek asylum, extending from 180 days to one year the bar on work authorization after filing an asylum claim, barring asylum for those who transited another country before entering the United States, requiring asylum seekers to await their hearings in Mexico, where many face dangers, and attempting to narrow asylum.
"We can say that deporting people to these areas is very difficult and dangerous," Salvadoran Migration Institute executive director Cesar Rios told the Associated Press.
The report calls for the U.S. to reverse recent restrictions on migration and refugee rights, as well as to expand the prerequisites for asylum.
"Instead of closing the door to the thousands of Salvadorans fleeing their homeland, the United States should provide them with full and fair asylum procedures and dignified treatment," said Parker. "Before deporting Salvadorans, U.S. authorities should take into account the extraordinary risks of harm they may face upon return."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.