US State Department sued over deal to house migrants in El Salvador
US is paying El Salvador up to $20,000 per person to house migrants in country, coalition of democracy groups says
Migrants wait to be received by the US
WASHINGTON
A coalition of democracy groups filed a lawsuit on Thursday to block the US State Department’s deal with El Salvador to house migrants in the Central American country's prison.
The groups, represented by Democracy Forward, said the US is paying El Salvador up to $20,000 per person to house migrants in the country.
“Disappearing people into foreign black sites is unAmerican. It is not immigration policy—it’s an abuse of power typical of autocratic regimes and a direct violation of the U.S. Constitution, federal law, and human rights," Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, said in a statement.
"Our lawsuit makes clear: No president—past or present—can buy their way out of the Constitution to disappear people behind a paywall of impunity," Perryman said.
She added that the State Department has acted "without" proper legal authority and in contravention of multiple constitutional guarantees and federal laws.
"Our suit urges the court to stop these abuses."
Five groups brought the lawsuit, namely: Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Immigrant Defenders Law Center, Immigration Equality and California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice.
