Brayan Palencia left Colombia hoping to build a better life in the United States and support his family. Like many migrants, his journey was dangerous — crossing the Darién Gap, dealing with cartels in Mexico, and working low-paying jobs once he arrived in the U.S. But nothing, he says, compared to what happened next.

After applying for asylum, Palencia was detained by U.S. immigration authorities during a routine court appointment. Without evidence, he and hundreds of other Venezuelan migrants were accused of belonging to the criminal gang Tren de Aragua — largely based on their nationality and tattoos. Instead of being deported home, they were secretly sent to El Salvador’s infamous mega-prison, CECOT, under a controversial agreement between the Trump administration and President Nayib Bukele.

Inside CECOT, Palencia describes months of abuse, isolation, hunger strikes, beatings, and psychological torture. Prisoners were told they would never leave alive. Human rights groups say many detainees had no criminal records and were held without due process.

In July, Palencia was suddenly released as part of a prisoner exchange between the U.S., El Salvador, and Venezuela. He returned to his family traumatized, injured, and struggling with health issues — but grateful to be free.

Now back in Bogotá, Palencia is trying to rebuild his life from scratch. He works delivery jobs to support his daughter and says he still lives with fear and sleepless nights. Despite everything, he insists he is innocent — and says his experience shows the human cost of harsh migration policies.

“For four months, I was tortured for something I never did,” he says. “That’s something you don’t forget.”