Neiyerver Adrian Leon Rengel, a 27-year-old Venezuelan barber, filed a $1.3 million lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Thursday, alleging wrongful deportation and abuse in El Salvador. Rengel, deported in March along with over 250 other Venezuelan men under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, claims he was falsely accused of gang affiliation to circumvent due process. He was sent to the Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT) in El Salvador, a maximum-security prison known for human rights abuses, where he endured physical, verbal, and psychological abuse for over four months.

Rengel was arrested in Irving, Texas, and alleges that DHS agents falsely linked him to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua based on his tattoos. Despite having a pending legal status application and a court date scheduled for 2028, he was deported to El Salvador, where he was imprisoned and abused. He was later part of a prisoner exchange and returned to Venezuela. The Trump administration, which reportedly paid nearly $6 million to El Salvador for the imprisonment of the deported men, denies the allegations and maintains Rengel was a gang member.

The Trump administration’s actions regarding the deportation and the use of the Alien Enemies Act have faced numerous legal challenges, including a court order to return the deported men to the US and a ruling granting them the opportunity to challenge their removals in US courts.

Impact Statement: This case highlights the ongoing legal battles surrounding the Trump administration's immigration policies and raises serious concerns about human rights abuses and due process violations.