BARQUISIMETO: Tears of joy and relief marked the emotional homecoming of Venezuelan migrants who endured months of alleged abuse in a Salvadoran prison.
Among them was Maikel Olivera, 37, who described his time in the notorious CECOT facility as “real hell.”
Olivera was one of 252 Venezuelans deported from the U.S. to El Salvador in March under a controversial agreement between the Trump administration and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele.
The migrants were accused of gang ties without due process, a claim rights groups dispute.
“They told us: ‘you will rot here, you will be imprisoned for 300 years,‘” Olivera told AFP. “I thought I would never return to Venezuela again.” His mother, Olivia Rojas, wept as she embraced him, saying, “You’ve come back to my life, my love!”
The migrants were held incommunicado, denied legal visits, and subjected to beatings, sexual abuse, and rotten food, according to testimonies.
“I had a friend who was gay, they raped him,“ Olivera revealed. Another returnee, Mervin Yamarte, 29, showed physical scars from the alleged torture.
Families across Venezuela welcomed their loved ones with banners, flags, and home-cooked meals. In Maracaibo, Yarelis Herrera, 45, tearfully reunited with her son Edwuar Hernandez, 23, who she said looked “very changed” by the ordeal.
The migrants had fled Venezuela’s economic crisis, only to face deportation and imprisonment.
“They have no record of criminal activity, nothing. Humble people seeking a better future who ended up in this nightmare,“ said Jonferson Yamarte, Mervin’s brother.
The U.S.-El Salvador deal has drawn sharp criticism from human rights organizations.
Meanwhile, Venezuela, itself accused of prison abuses, facilitated the returnees’ release through a prisoner exchange. - AFP
