Venezuelan National Files $1.3 Million Lawsuit Over Illegal Deportation to El Salvadoran Prison

Neiyerver Adrián Leon Rengel has filed a federal tort lawsuit in Washington, D.C., seeking $1.3 million in damages following his forced transfer to the Center for Terrorism Confinement (CECOT) in El Salvador. Rengel, a Venezuelan national, was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in March 2025 and subsequently placed on one of three flights that transported 238 individuals to the notorious facility. The lawsuit alleges that these deportations occurred in direct violation of a bench ruling by Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, who had previously rejected the administration's attempt to use the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act to justify the summary removals.

The legal filing contends that the United States government maintained constructive custody over Rengel throughout his four-month incarceration, during which he claims to have endured severe physical and psychological abuse, solitary confinement, and a lack of medical care. Although President Donald Trump justified the transfers by labeling the detainees as members of the Tren de Aragua gang, Rengel maintains he has no gang affiliations. The lawsuit argues that federal officials acted beyond their statutory authority and violated constitutional protections by defying court orders and subjecting detainees to inhumane conditions. Rengel, who was released during a prisoner exchange in July 2025, continues to suffer from the trauma of his detention.