Immigrants Are Vanishing Without a Trace—Here’s How Donald Trump’s Regime is More ‘Scary’ Than It Seems

When Donald Trump came back to power in 2025, he signed several executive orders, including a harsh crackdown on immigration. He started what he called the “biggest deportation operation” in American history. The U.S. has always deported immigrants—even under Joe Biden, who sent 271,000 people back to 192 countries in 2024 alone.

But what’s alarming now is that under Trump’s mass deportation plan, immigrants are vanishing without a trace. Take Frizgeralth de Jesús Cornejo Pulgar, a Venezuelan seeking asylum. He missed a routine immigration hearing on May 30, 2025—not because he forgot, but because he had already been secretly deported to El Salvador’s infamous CECOT prison, along with 230 other Venezuelans. Lawyers and human rights groups say these forced disappearances violate international law.

So what exactly is a forced disappearance? According to the UN, it’s when the government secretly arrests or kidnaps someone, then refuses to say where they are. These immigrants are often sent to dangerous places and stripped of their basic rights.

This isn’t new—dictatorships in Chile, Argentina, and Syria have used the same tactics. What’s shocking is that the Trump administration is working with Salvadoran officials to deport people, even when courts have ordered them to stop. Many Venezuelans are being accused of vague gang ties without evidence.

For example, Vice President JD Vance went on Fox News to attack Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man detained by ICE. Vance claimed Garcia was part of the violent MS-13 gang and had “no right” to stay in the U.S. But the truth is much worse. In 2019, a judge ruled Garcia couldn’t be sent back to El Salvador because his life was in danger there. He had no criminal record, was married to a U.S. citizen, and cared for a disabled child born in America. Yet he was snatched while picking up his son from school. His wife had no idea where he was until she saw news reports about deportation flights.

Later, the Trump administration called his deportation an “administrative mistake”—even though a federal judge had ordered the plane to turn back. That order was ignored. Now, because of Trump’s policies, people are disappearing, families are left in the dark, and legal protections are being erased.

So what can be done? Experts say the key is keeping these cases visible. Names must stay in the public eye, the government must be held accountable, and protests (like those in Los Angeles) must continue.

Trump’s administration is skilled at controlling its image, but public pressure can force answers. Right now, there are 3.6 million cases stuck in U.S. immigration courts, with people waiting years for decisions. Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy from his first term already hurt 71,000 asylum seekers.

As Adam Isacson from the Washington Office on Latin America put it: *“We have no guarantee these people are even alive. That should terrify all of us.”