Washington, D.C., June 18, 2025 – Last week, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, Boston University School of Law International Human Rights Clinic, the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, and the Global Strategic Litigation Council for Refugee Rights submitted a report to the United Nations highlighting egregious human rights violations for hundreds of migrants deported from the United States and detained in a notorious Salvadoran prison. The report was submitted to the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, an independent expert appointed by the UN Human Rights Council, ahead of the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly in September. 

Since March 2025, the United States has transferred approximately 288 people to El Salvador, where they have been trapped in indefinite, incommunicado detention at the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), a state-run facility known for severe overcrowding and widespread torture. To date, the government of El Salvador has not provided any explanation or legal justification for the imprisonment of these individuals, the majority of whom have no criminal record in the U.S. or internationally.

The new report outlines key violations of human rights under international law, including due process violations for detained migrants, many of whom were arrested and deported on vague and superficial criteria; El Salvador’s lack of transparency regarding the transferred individuals; and abusive conditions at the CECOT prison. The participating organizations called on the UN to intervene and urge both countries to facilitate the safe release of detained individuals. 

“The United States and El Salvador are subjecting migrants to horrific abuse, from inadequate medical care and state-sanctioned violence to denial of food and water,” said Anthony Enriquez, Vice President of US Advocacy and Litigation at Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights. “These conditions aren’t just an immigration issue. They are a moral outrage and an affront to our most basic principles of human dignity. We call on the UN to condemn these violations of international human rights law and to urge all member states to comply with their international obligations.”

“This depraved agreement, executed with shocking callousness by the governments of the United States and El Salvador, has condemned 288 people to indefinite detention with no chance to defend themselves. The policy has devastated hundreds of families, tearing parents, children, and partners from their loved ones without explanation or recourse,” said Felipe Navarro, Associate Director of Policy & Advocacy at the Center for Gender & Refugee Studies (CGRS). “We urge the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants to press both governments to provide immediate remedies, including ensuring transparency, restoring communication between those detained and their families, and guaranteeing full due process protections.”

This report represents RFK Human Rights’ latest effort to seek accountability through an international forum, following a related lawsuit before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. RFK Human Rights is also representing ten Venezuelan clients who were deported to El Salvador and are currently held in CECOT. Many of these clients had work permits, pending asylum applications, or temporary protected status—and many were arrested solely for having tattoos. RFK Human Rights attorneys traveled to El Salvador in April to meet with their detained clients and were denied access by the Salvadoran government.

Earlier this month, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and partner organizations filed a federal lawsuit to block the State Department’s agreement with El Salvador, alleging that it was made without legal authority and violates the U.S. Constitution, federal law, and international human rights protections. 

About Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
We are a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization that has worked to realize Robert F. Kennedy’s dream of a more just and peaceful world since 1968. In partnership with local activists, we advocate for key human rights issues—championing change makers and pursuing strategic litigation at home and around the world. And to ensure change that lasts, we foster a social-good approach to business and investment and educate millions of students about human rights and social justice.