04/08/2025 | News release | Distributed by Public on 04/08/2025 16:24
WASHINGTON- Today, Congresswomen Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) and Delia C. Ramirez (D-IL) led 21 House Democrats in sending a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanding answers and accountability for the transfer of individuals from U.S. custody to the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) in El Salvador, a prison widely condemned for human rights abuses.
"We write to you with the utmost urgency and grave concern regarding the forced transfer of individuals from United States custody to a state of imprisonment in El Salvador, where they face a well-documented and imminent risk of torture, abuse, and other egregious human rights violations at CECOT," the lawmakers wrote. "These transfers not only violate fundamental principles of international law, but they also violate U.S. laws and our nation's commitment to human rights."
The letter cites serious concerns about violations of the Foreign Affairs Reform and Restructuring Act of 1998 and the Convention Against Torture, which prohibit the U.S. from sending individuals to countries where they face a real risk of torture or inhumane treatment.
Velázquez and Ramirez point to extreme overcrowding, the absence of due process, and the systematic use of torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment inside CECOT, as reported by human rights organizations and journalists.
They also directly challenge Secretary Rubio's recent claim that El Salvador complies with all the international requirements for imprisonment. The letter demands written proof from El Salvador that CECOT meets international human rights standards and calls for an immediate halt to additional transfers.
The letter includes a series of detailed questions for the Department, including whether the U.S. has paid El Salvador to imprison people, what legal authority supports such actions, what safeguards exist for those detained in error, and whether the Office of the Legal Adviser reviewed the legality of the transfers.
"The United States has a solemn legal and moral duty to uphold international law and the U.S. Constitution," the lawmakers continued. "Anything less would constitute an unconscionable abdication of our nation's commitment to human rights and the rule of law."
In addition to Velázquez and Ramirez, the letter was also signed by Reps. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Maxine Waters (D-CA), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), John Garamendi (D-CA), Darren Soto (D-FL), Maxine Dexter (D-OR), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Greg Casar (D-TX), Jennifer McClellan (D-VA), Jim McGovern (D-MA), Sylvia Garcia (D-TX), Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Robert Garcia (D-CA), Chuy Garcia (D-IL), Lori Trahan (D-MA), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ).
For a full copy of the letter, click here.
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