Dear John,

Over the weekend, the United States deported 238 Venezuelans and 23 Salvadorans, one of them a top gang leader, to El Salvador’s infamous mega prison, CECOT. This mass transfer raises serious human rights concerns, especially as WOLA and other organizations have documented the dire conditions inside El Salvador’s prisons. Once individuals are sent to these prisons, it is hard to know what happens to them. Access to incarcerated individuals is nearly nonexistent, and reports of severe human rights violations—including torture—are widespread. These concerns, along with the lack of transparency in the Salvadoran government’s handling of detainees, underscore the urgent need for international oversight.

WOLA continues to monitor this crisis and advocate for adherence to international human rights law. This week, I spoke to The Washington Post about the broader human rights landscape in El Salvador, particularly the failure to conduct meaningful investigations and prosecutions that could effectively dismantle criminal structures. Instead of ensuring justice, the government has relied on mass incarceration, sidestepping due process and exacerbating human rights abuses. To provide further context on this unfolding crisis, I spoke with our Director for Defense Oversight Adam Isacson on a podcast episode, along with our Director for Venezuela Laura Dib, where we discussed the implications of these deportations. Stay tuned for the episode which will drop on our website later this afternoon. We also broke down the issues in a series of infographics. 

I’ve been working closely with our partners in El Salvador to respond to the situation at hand - I am always heartened by the commitment of like-minded organizations to continue the critical fight for human rights. We joined a group of international organizations, condemning the criminalization of human rights defender Fidel Zavala. Last week, I travelled to Honduras with Human Rights Watch, meeting with civil society organizations, government officials, and international agencies, to hear about their concerns in the lead-up to the Honduran general elections this fall. These conversations reinforced WOLA’s commitment to supporting local organizations and their role in monitoring election processes and the need for international support for these efforts. We will continue to work alongside our partners throughout Central America to push for justice, transparency, and accountability.

Thank you for standing with us in this effort,

Ana María Méndez Dardón

Director for Central America

For human rights activists across Latin America right now, the stakes are high. Violence around elections is on the rise, as are threats against those who speak in favor of justice and accountability.

Your support of WOLA creates space to amplify the voices of those who put their life on the line to champion human rights; from Caracas, to San Salvador, and everywhere in between.

“Dismantling and incarcerating are not one and the same. When you are talking about dismantling a criminal organization, you need persecution. You need investigation. You need to gather evidence. This could be something positive if you see the attorney general’s offices or the law enforcement agencies in the region conducting criminal investigations against these groups, but we haven’t seen that. They’re just putting people in jail and that doesn’t mean justice.”

Ana María Méndez Dardón

Director for Central America

– Politico, The benefits of Bukele’s bromance with Trump

“By keeping the building or the diplomatic mission under constant siege and cutting electricity and water, the Venezuelan government shows how willing it is to break international rules to achieve its own purpose.”

Carolina Jiménez Sandoval

President

– Al Jazeera, A year under siege: Meet the Venezuelan opposition members trapped in a Caracas embassy

"Several universities and companies have advised their foreign students and employees, from any country that might be on the list, not to leave the United States for fear of not being able to re-enter." This interview is in Spanish.

Maureen Meyer

Vice President for Programs

– Deutsche Welle, EE. UU. pierde atractivo para turistas latinoamericanos

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