Loaded Gun Recap: El Salvador, the Alien Enemies Act, and What Happened to Roger
Rights & Wrongs · Human Rights Watch
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Show Notes
Roger and Daniela arrived in the U.S. in January, conditionally approved as refugees. Hours later, she was deported. Roger vanished. When Rights & Wrongs first aired this story in May, it traced how a Venezuelan millennial with no criminal record ended up detained in El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act—a centuries-old wartime law now repurposed for mass deportations.
In a stunning twist two months later, the Trump administration brokered a deal: 10 Americans held in Venezuela were exchanged for 252 Venezuelans imprisoned in El Salvador, including Roger.
In this update, host Ngofeen Mputubwele recaps Roger’s journey and speaks with him about what really happened inside El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison.
Roger Eduardo Molina Acevedo : Venezuelan citizen expelled to El Salvador
Juan Pappier: Deputy Director of Americas at Human Rights Watch