The Salvadorans Irving Geovani Quintanilla García, William Alexander Martínez Ruano, José Osmín Santos Robles, and Brandon Bladimir Sigarán Cruz were located in different prisons in El Salvador after being reported missing by their families.

The four Salvadorans were deported from the United States by the Trump administration in March 2025, along with more than 200 Venezuelans accused of belonging to organized crime and terrorist structures.

Although the Trump administration did not present evidence for the accusations, the Government of El Salvador did not hesitate to distribute them in the prison system, even though their families requested support from the government to locate them.

Currently, Martínez Ruano, Santos Robles, and Quintanilla García are being held at the Industrial Center for Sentence Compliance and Rehabilitation in Santa Ana. However, Brandon Sigarán is at the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT).

Unlike the first three, Brandon was captured in early 2024 in the United States while on his way to work. His family was able to identify him thanks to a propaganda video, published by Nayib Bukele, about prisons in El Salvador.

Confirmation of the whereabouts of Martínez, Santos, and Quintanilla ocurred after more than six months during which the Government of El Salvador denied having any information about any of them.

On November 18, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) issued precautionary measures for the four Salvadorans. These measures are an urgent call to action for a state to protect someone who is at risk.

In this case, the IACHR has considered that the four “are in a situation of gravity and urgency, since their rights to life and personal integrity are at risk of irreparable harm in El Salvador.”

The Salvadoran government, for its part, has not issued any statement or official position regarding the situation of Martínez, Santos, or Quintanilla. 

This case is not the only one documented with these characteristics. During 2025, several journalistic investigations revealed enforced disappearances in ICE migrant detention centers, as well as torture and ill-treatment in prisons in El Salvador.