The American Association of Jurists (AAJ) has condemned the illegal transfer and detention of Venezuelan migrants in El Salvador’s CECOT mega-prison, denouncing the Trump and Bukele administrations for grave human rights violations and calling for the immediate release of the detainees.

Related:

Supreme Court Halts Trump Administration’s Deportation of Venezuelans Using Alien Enemies Act

The American Association of Jurists (AAJ) issued a forceful condemnation this Sunday against the governments of the United States and El Salvador, denouncing the illegal transfer and arbitrary detention of hundreds of Venezuelan migrants in the notorious CECOT prison. The AAJ, a prominent voice in the defense of human rights across the Americas, has called for the immediate release of those detained and accused both the Trump and Bukele administrations of perpetrating crimes against humanity.

The AAJ’s statement highlights that the forced transfer and detention of Venezuelan migrants violate a range of legal protections, including the Fifth and Sixth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution and the internationally recognized “Miranda Rights”. The organization argues that these actions are in direct contravention of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Convention against Torture, among other international agreements.

According to the AAJ, the conduct of both the Trump administration and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele constitutes a coordinated attack on a vulnerable civilian population. The group asserts that these acts-arbitrary detention, forced transfer, and denial of due process-are prosecutable as crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, to which El Salvador is a signatory. The AAJ draws a chilling parallel to the atrocities of the Nazi era, warning of the dangers of normalizing such practices in the Americas.

Political Bargaining and the Commodification of Migrants

The AAJ further denounces the apparent political motivations behind the imprisonment of Venezuelans in El Salvador. Reports indicate that President Bukele has offered to exchange these detainees for political prisoners allegedly held in Venezuela, reducing human beings to mere bargaining chips in international negotiations. This transactional approach, the AAJ warns, deepens the violation of human rights and undermines the dignity of all migrants.

Family members and legal representatives of the detained Venezuelans have reported a complete lack of communication since their transfer to CECOT, raising serious concerns about enforced disappearance and the denial of access to legal counsel. The AAJ notes that many of those detained have not been formally charged with any crime, and that the evidence used to justify their deportation-such as tattoos or social media posts-lacks credibility and due process. These practices, the AAJ asserts, are emblematic of authoritarian regimes and have no place in democratic societies.

Warning Against the Spread of Repressive Migration Policies

The AAJ’s statement concludes with a stark warning: the normalization of such repressive and inhumane migration policies threatens to spread throughout the region, particularly in countries aligned with U.S. imperialist and far-right agendas. The organization calls on the international community, progressive movements, and civil society to demand accountability and to resist the commercialization and criminalization of migrants.

Echoing the urgent appeals of human rights defenders and left-wing organizations across the Americas, the AAJ demands the immediate release of all Venezuelan migrants illegally detained in El Salvador. The association emphasizes that these individuals are victims of a system that prioritizes political expediency over justice and human dignity, and calls for a renewed commitment to the protection of migrant rights in the face of mounting authoritarianism.

IN THIS ARTICLE