Trump Administration Allegedly Deports Teen to ‘World’s Worst Prison’ After Realizing He Was the Wrong Person
A shocking case has emerged alleging that during the Trump administration, U.S. immigration authorities deported a teenage boy to a notoriously brutal foreign prison—even after realizing they had arrested the wrong person. The incident, which is now drawing fierce criticism from human rights advocates and legal experts, has raised troubling questions about due process, immigration enforcement, and accountability.
The teen, a 17-year-old U.S. resident originally from Central America, was picked up by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a routine sweep in 2019. According to newly surfaced internal documents and whistleblower accounts, agents believed the boy was connected to a violent gang, allegedly based on mistaken identity and flawed intelligence.
But weeks into his detention, authorities reportedly discovered they had misidentified him. Despite this revelation, instead of releasing him, ICE expedited his deportation and sent him to his birth country—where local police promptly imprisoned him in a facility widely regarded as one of the world’s most dangerous and inhumane: El Salvador’s Zacatecoluca Prison, often referred to as “Zacatraz.”
Zacatecoluca is infamous for housing violent criminals in overcrowded, disease-ridden cells under near-constant lockdown. Human Rights Watch has described it as a facility where “torture, starvation, and extrajudicial violence” are common. The teen, with no prior criminal record, was reportedly thrown into a gang-controlled wing of the prison, where he was beaten, threatened, and denied medical care.
Advocacy organizations only became aware of the situation months later, after the boy’s family contacted legal aid groups in the U.S., pleading for help. After an international legal effort, the teen was eventually released and returned to the U.S., traumatized and physically scarred.
“This is not just a bureaucratic mistake—this is a human rights disaster,” said Maria Rivera, an attorney working with the boy’s family. “They knew he wasn’t who they thought he was. And they sent him to a death trap anyway.”
Internal emails obtained by a congressional oversight committee appear to support Rivera’s claim. One message from a senior ICE official reportedly acknowledges, “We may have the wrong guy, but the deportation order has already been processed. Let’s move forward.”
The case has reignited fierce debate about immigration enforcement practices under the Trump administration, particularly the use of “expedited removal” and the targeting of undocumented youth without sufficient legal review. Critics say this case is emblematic of a wider culture of indifference to human rights and due process during that period.
The Department of Homeland Security has not commented publicly on the case, citing ongoing litigation. However, members of Congress have begun demanding answers, with some calling for a full investigation and potential criminal charges for those involved.
“The fact that a teenager could be sent into a hellhole after being cleared is beyond alarming—it’s criminal,” said Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX). “We need accountability.”
For now, the teen remains in recovery, receiving psychological care and legal assistance. His case is being used as a rallying cry for immigration reform and a stark reminder of what can happen when a system prioritizes speed over justice.
