Carlos was a man who hoped for a safer future in the United States. Fleeing danger in his home country, he traveled north expecting to apply for asylum. He believed he would find protection from the problems he left behind.
However, a new government policy changed his destiny. Instead of being processed in the U.S., American officials put him on a plane. He was sent to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador, a country known for its own dangers.
Inside the prison, the guards' treatment was harsh. They immediately labeled him and the other migrants as dangerous criminals. "You are all terrorists," one guard shouted, which showed the cruel attitude of the staff.
For four months, the men endured terrible conditions with little food and constant fear. This was not a center for people seeking safety, but a place of punishment. Independent analysts later said the men's basic human rights were violated.
When Carlos was finally released, he carried the memory of his time in the prison. The ordeal was over, but the injustice he suffered left a deep psychological scar on his life.