People Are ‘Disappearing’ Since Trump Took Office. Here’s What That Means.

In spite of existing court orders and legal challenges, the Trump administration continues its deportation policy in El Salvador, in partnership with the county’s President Nayib Bukele. 

Venezuelan migrants have been targeted in particular for deportation, many on unproven allegations of gang affiliation. That said, Trump has also repeatedly said he’s “all for” looking for ways to detain U.S. citizens in foreign jails. 

Should we be calling what’s happening now “forced disappearances”? A report released by the UN in April suggests yes. 

The incommunicado detentions appeared to involve “enforced disappearances, contrary to international law,” the report said. 

“Many detainees were unaware of their destination, their families were not informed of their detention or removal, and the U.S. and Salvadoran authorities have not published the names or legal status of the detainees,” the UN experts wrote. “Those imprisoned in El Salvador have been denied the right to communicate with and be visited by their family members.” 

Isacson agrees that we should be calling a spade a spade here.

“The only difference between that and what was done in 1970s Chile or Argentina is that loved ones have more reason to believe that their relatives are still alive and haven’t been killed,” he said. 

But even that certainty is not complete, he said: “Can you say with 100% confidence that Andry Hernandez ― the gay Venezuelan stylist that disappeared two months ago  ― is still alive right now? He probably is, but you absolutely cannot guarantee that, and no one will confirm it.” 

The raids and deportations have certainly struck fear into American communities ― another classic characteristic of enforced disappearances. The Trump administration has openly said that its goal is to try to make life so difficult for immigrants that they “self-deport.”