Milo* is a 43-year-old man from El Salvador. He joined a gang when he was 16 years old and left the gang when he was 30 because he did not want that kind of life anymore. While he lived in El Salvador, the Civil National Police (PNC) targeted him, his mother, and his best friend. They beat Milo, breaking his femur bone and teeth. He was sent to a hospital and nearly died. The PNC also charged Milo’s mother with illicit association, took her into custody, and beat her. She was in prison for 16 months where she was tortured. The PNC also killed Milo’s best friend because they believed he was a gang member.

Milo served 10 years in a Salvadoran prison. During that time, he was tortured by guards with electrical cables. He was given no medical attention, food, or showers. Milo fears that if he is deported, he will be detained, tortured, and killed by police.

Milo finally fled El Salvador in 2022 because the “Exterminator Group” in El Salvador threatened to kill him. They said there was a price on his head and threatened him many times.

Milo has tattoos all over his body and head. The tattoos on his skull and arms have clear gang affiliation meaning. Because of these tattoos, Milo fears he will be considered an active member of the gang.

Because of his prior conviction in El Salvador, it is unlikely that Milo is eligible for asylum or withholding. However, he has a strong case for deferral of removal under the convention against torture (DCAT) because he was tortured by government officials while in prison with electrical cables. Because of the State of Exception, death threats from exterminator groups and death squads, his previous recorded affiliation with MS 13, and his visible tattoos with obvious MS 13 affiliation, he will be a target for detention and torture as soon as he arrives in El Salvador.

Country conditions evidence such as the following amply supports Milo’s fear.

• S. Department of State, 2023 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: El Salvador, 2023, available at: https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/el-salvador/
• Human Rights Watch, World Report 2023: El Salvador, 2023, available at: https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2024/country-chapters/el-salvador
• S. Department of State, Travel Advisory: El Salvador, July 17, 2023, available at: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/el-salvador-travel-advisory.html

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