Neiyerver Adrian Leon Rengel, 28, has filed a federal lawsuit seeking $1.3 million from the U.S. government, alleging false imprisonment and intentional infliction of emotional distress after he was deported to El Salvador and secretly held at the notorious CECOT prison.
Leon Rengel says he entered the United States lawfully through the Biden-era CBP One program and pleaded guilty while in the U.S. to a misdemeanor for possession of drug paraphernalia. He was among several hundred Venezuelan migrants deported last year under actions tied by the Trump administration to the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, a population the administration alleged included gang members. A subsequent CBS News and 60 Minutes investigation found that many deported Venezuelans had no criminal records.
According to Leon Rengel and his attorneys, he was detained in CECOT for months where inmates suffered psychological and physical abuse. Human Rights Watch has reported severe mistreatment at CECOT, including sexual assault. Leon Rengel described his time there as total hell, saying the conditions and treatment drove him to contemplate suicide and that guards forced detainees to drink the same water used to clean cells.
In the complaint he asks for $1.3 million and seeks to clear his name and challenge the government’s characterization of him as a gang member. He is believed to be the first former CECOT detainee to sue the U.S. government over deportations to that Salvadoran prison.
The Department of Homeland Security maintains Leon Rengel is a member of the Tren de Aragua gang but declined to provide supporting evidence to CBS News, saying disclosure would harm national security. Legal advocates say plaintiffs face additional hurdles: a federal judge in Washington, D.C., recently ordered the Trump administration to facilitate the return of Venezuelan men deported under the Alien Enemies Act so they could receive the due process the judge found they were denied on U.S. soil. The Justice Department has appealed that decision, leaving the case on hold while the appeal proceeds.
Leon Rengel was released in July in a prisoner swap in El Salvador. He has returned to Venezuela and filed the federal lawsuit as he pursues legal recourse and works to restore his reputation.