Washington DC - A group of Venezuelan men is suing aviation companies that flew them to El Salvador, where they were detained in a prison camp as part of President Donald Trump's aggressive immigration agenda.

In a lawsuit recently obtained by The Guardian, human rights attorneys accuse CSI Aviation and GlobalX of flying the men to El Salvador despite a judge's order for their return to the US.

Their deportations came after President Trump in March 2025 invoked the Alien Enemies Act to expel more than 250 Venezuelan and Salvadorian men his administration claimed — without evidence — were criminals from the US to Tecoluca.

Moments after three deportation flights took off, a federal judge ordered their return, but the Trump administration ignored it.

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Upon arrival, the men were transported to the Center for Terrorism Confinement — also known locally as CECOT — where they were imprisoned and reportedly tortured for over four months.

The lawsuit further argues that CSI and GlobalX violated the men's civil rights by false imprisonment, intentionally inflicted emotional distress, negligence, and knowingly transporting them to a place where they would possibly be tortured.

The effort marks the latest by rights groups to hold private contractors and the government accountable for alleged abuses carried out as part of Trump's controversial agenda.

In March, a Venezuelan man filed a lawsuit against the US government seeking at least $1.3 million in compensation for his deportation to CECOT, which he described as "total hell."