Migrant sent to El Salvador prison by the Trump administration says he was beaten by guards
July 24, 2025
A migrant from Venezuela deported by the Trump administration to El Salvador has taken the first step toward suing the U.S. government. Attorneys with the Democracy Defenders Fund said Thursday that 27-year-old Neiyerver Adrián Leon Rengel had filed a claim for $1.3 million with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Rengel says he was wrongly sent to a notorious prison in El Salvador, where he was beaten by guards and kept from contacting his family or an attorney. Homeland Security said in an email that Rengel was deemed a public safety threat as a confirmed gang member. Rengel was sent to Venezuela earlier this month as part of a prisoner exchange deal.