I wanted to pass along a new analysis from Cato Institute Director of Immigration Studies David Bier which finds that over 50 of the Venezuelans imprisoned in El Salvador came to the US legally and never violated immigration law.

Shortly after the US government illegally and unconstitutionally transported about 240 Venezuelans to be imprisoned in El Salvador’s horrific “terrorism” prison on March 15, CBS News published their names. A subsequent CBS News investigation found that 75 percent of the men on that list had no criminal record in the United States or abroad. Less attention has been paid to the fact that dozens of these men never violated immigration laws either.

The US government not only denied these men due process; it has also generally failed to provide their families, their attorneys, or the public any information about what it alleges these men did to deserve incarceration in El Salvador.

Given the total lack of transparency by the federal government, Bier has compiled what the families of the men themselves are reporting about their entries and what likely triggered their incarceration in El Salvador. Their stories are often corroborated by government entry documents, witness testimony, and the administration’s statements about them.

If you would like to speak with Bier, please contact pr@​cato.​org to set up an interview.