‘Welcome to Hell’: Migrants Detail Salvadoran Prison Horror

Mervin Yamarte, aged 29, left Venezuela with his younger brother in search of a better life in the United States. But instead of opportunity, he faced a harrowing journey through the jungle, arrest and deportation without trial, followed by months of abuse in a Salvadoran high-security prison.

Upon arriving back in his hometown of Maracaibo, Yamarte hugged his mother and six-year-old daughter. His first act of closure: burning the white prison shorts he was forced to wear for four months.

“The suffering is over now,” he said, overwhelmed, standing once again in the sweltering Caribbean port.

Detained Without Evidence, Held in ‘Hell’

Yamarte was one of 252 Venezuelans detained in March 2025 as part of former US President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Accused without evidence of gang affiliations, they were deported to El Salvador’s notorious Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT) — a facility infamous for its harsh conditions and rights violations.

“You are going to die here! Welcome to hell!” were the words that greeted the detainees from heavily armed guards, according to several ex-prisoners interviewed by AFP.

Their heads were shaved, and they were given only shorts, T-shirts, socks, and white plastic clogs. Yamarte recalled guards pulling at a small tuft of hair deliberately left on the nape of his neck.

The group was confined in “Pavilion 8”, separate from local inmates. Each of the 32 cells, sized at roughly 100 square metres, held 80 prisoners — the size of an average two-bedroom flat, packed beyond endurance.

Inside CECOT: Prison Conditions

‘Beatings 24 Hours a Day’

Maikel Olivera, 37, another detainee, described:

“Beatings 24 hours a day,” with guards warning: “You’re going to rot here.”

Andy Perozo, 30, endured rubber bullets and tear gas. After one of two riots was violently suppressed, he said:

“They shot me every morning. It was hell.”

Edwuar Hernandez, 23, suffered similar abuse in the infirmary.

“They kicked me everywhere. Look at the marks — I’m all marked.”

Sleep was on bare metal cots, without mattresses. Detainees used tortilla dough to craft dice, and notched bars of soap to count the days.

From Jungle to Jail: A Journey Cut Short

Yamarte left Venezuela in September 2023, trekking through the deadly Darien Gap, braving criminal gangs and wild animals. Arrested in Dallas in March, he was deported within three days, without a court hearing.

All 252 men were unexpectedly released on 18 July 2025 as part of a prisoner exchange between Washington and Caracas. Many now plan to pursue legal action for their detention and mistreatment.

They believe tattoos — including harmless ones like Yamarte’s, which reads “Strong like Mum” — were misinterpreted as gang affiliations by US authorities, particularly the feared Tren de Aragua.

“I am clean. I can prove it to anyone,” said Yamarte. “We went to seek a better future for our families. We didn’t go there to steal or kill.”

Homecoming and Family Resilience

Back in Maracaibo, banners and balloons greeted the returning men. Yamarte, Perozo, and Hernandez all hail from the same impoverished neighbourhood.

Yamarte’s mother, Mercedes, 46, cooked a celebratory lunch of steak, mashed potatoes, and fried green plantains.

Later, the phone rang — it was his brother Juan, still living undocumented in the US, constantly on the move to evade immigration enforcement. Juan told AFP he’s staying just long enough to pay off the $1,700 loan for his family’s home.

“Every day we thought of you,” Juan told his brother. “I always had you in my mind.”

“The suffering is over now,” replied Mervin. “We’ve come out of hell.”