José Manuel Ramos Bastidas of Venezuela, just home after traumatic experience in El Salvador’s infamous mega-prison, Cecot. He was one of 252 men arrested with similar extreme restrictions. Surprisingly, he’d never even broken any laws in the US or any other country. His journey highlights the grim realities faced by many seeking a better life and the consequences of international immigration policies.
Just over a year ago, Ramos Bastidas was forced to flee his hometown of El Tocuyo, Venezuela. He wanted a higher income so he could have his own home, get treatment for his infant with extreme asthma. Though he missed the trip, he made his way to the US-Mexico border in March 2024. There, he formally introduced himself at a port of entry, requesting asylum. Instead, he suffered an entirely different sort of horror show.
Despite his innocence, Ramos Bastidas was informed that he was condemned to spend 30 to 90 years in Cecot unless the President of the United States intervened. This announcement was just the start of a long, traumatic ordeal, defined by confinement and violence. He spent significant amounts of time in solitary confinement and was driven to consider suicide out of hopelessness.
The conditions in Cecot were stark. Inmates like Ramos Bastidas were given poor maintenance, soap for example just on clinic visits. Things took a more dangerous turn when he and others tried to leave their detention by cutting the locks off their cells. For this one act of desperation, the inmates endured six days of violent abuse from corrections officers.
Ramos Bastidas was subjected to multiple attacks with rubber bullets, including on what would turn out to be his last day in custody. The brutality he endured calls into question the very practice of moving people under this inhumane and unconstitutional practice.
During his court martial, he observed fellow detainees being flown to the military base in Guantánamo Bay. Fear took hold of him, further fuelling his fear for his own future. In mid-March, he communicated with his family about a potential return to Venezuela after officials began preparations for his deportation.
Ultimately, on Aug 14, thanks to negotiations and successful diplomacy between the U.S. and Venezuelan governments, Ramos Bastidas was repatriated back to Venezuela. He went back to El Tocuyo and he held his family in relief and joy. This moment was the culmination of an extraordinary chapter in his life.
“These last months have been a living nightmare, not knowing anything about José Manuel and only imagining what he must be suffering,” – Roynerliz Rodríguez
His family issued a statement, saying they were “deeply relieved” to see him return home. Rodríguez said that only after countless months of living in uncertainty and fear were they able to feel as if they could breathe again. She said the psychological scars from this ordeal would remain long after his return.
Throughout the ordeal, human rights advocates have condemned the treatment of Ramos Bastidas and others during their detention. Attorney Stephanie M Alvarez-Jones, who represents some of the detainees, pointed to the lasting effects of this state-sanctioned violence.
“He will likely carry the psychological impact of this torture his whole life. The courts must never look away when those who wield the power of the US government, at the highest levels, engage in such state-sanctioned violence,” – Stephanie M Alvarez-Jones
Fair Housing Advocates Alvarez-Jones told Streetsblog that people like Ramos Bastidas should never have been in that position to begin with. Then she realized how simple it would have been for them to deport him straight back to Venezuela. Instead, they decided to drown him and make it agonizing.
Even as Ramos Bastidas starts to piece a new life together in Venezuela, the toll of his harrowing journey is sure to follow him. His story underscores the dangers to which refugees are almost universally subject. It opens eyes to the tragic results of punitive immigration law enforcement.
The deplorable conditions of Cecot and other centers like it have led to condemnation by human rights groups and international monitors. They advocate for stricter oversight and reforming detention systems to ensure the rights and dignity of all people are protected.