US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that Washington is unable to determine the whereabouts of more than 130 Venezuelans deported to prisons in El Salvador last year.
"Given the passage of time, the US government does not know-nor does it have any way of knowing-the whereabouts of class members, including whether anyone has departed Venezuela or whether the regime subsequently took anyone back into custody," Rubio said in a declaration filed late Monday.
Rubio was responding to a federal court order directing the government to explore ways to provide the deportees with due process.
However, the secretary of state objected to further court hearings involving the individuals.
A December ruling by US District Judge James Boasberg noted that the deportations continued even after the court had ordered them halted while the individuals were already en route overseas.
"Rather than comply with the court's order, the government continued the hurried removal operation," the ruling said, adding that the detainees were illegally "spirited out of the United States before they could vindicate their due-process rights."
Rubio said the issue has become more complex following the US military operation that led to the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, warning that legal proceedings could disrupt ongoing negotiations with Venezuela's interim leadership.
"In the wake of this operation, the situation in Venezuela remains fluid," he wrote. "These efforts entail ongoing, intensive, and extraordinarily delicate engagement with elements within the regime of Maduro's successor, so-called Acting President Delcy Rodríguez."
