Venezuelans were reunited with their families after spending four months in prison in El Salvador, where the US government transferred them, accusing them of being members of a foreign gang in the US illegally.

“(The guards) tortured us physically and psychologically,” said José Mora, one of 252 Venezuelan migrants recently held at the notorious mega-prison known as Cecot, after being deported there by the US. “It was a nightmare. I heard many brothers asking for help, shouting, ‘Mom, help!’” added Rafael Martínez, another detainee. That four-month “nightmare” ended on Friday, when El Salvador agreed to release all 252 migrants as part of a prisoner exchange deal between the US and Venezuela.

252
Venezuelan migrants jailed in El Salvador who were released