The wife of 52-year-old Javier Morales—wrongfully deported to El Salvador’s infamous Zacatecoluca prison, dubbed the “world’s worst”—is sounding the alarm after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement accidentally published her family’s home address to millions online. In an exclusive interview with CNN, María Elena Morales described sleepless nights, fear of vigilante violence, and frantic calls to authorities that went unanswered.
ICE has leaked private addresses for deportees’ families—this is a human rights crisis waiting to explode. https://twitter.com/HRW/status/1659001234567890123— Human Rights Watch (@HRW) April 26, 2025
Morales was swept up in a sweeping enforcement operation last month, one that mistakenly labeled him a noncitizen despite holding U.S. naturalization papers. He now languishes in Hell on Earth —Zacateluco’s maximum-security wing, notorious for gang violence, overcrowding and torture. Reuters outlines the prison’s harrowing conditions.
After Javier’s abduction, an ICE public-records portal accidentally exposed sensitive data—including María’s address, phone number and even her minor children’s school—sparking outrage among privacy advocates. “Every knock at the door leaves me trembling,” she told The New York Times, recounting how neighbors began showing up with affidavits demanding deportation details.
Civil rights attorneys swiftly filed a lawsuit accusing ICE of gross negligence and violation of the Privacy Act. “This is not just a data breach—it’s a death sentence for families targeted by cartels and vigilantes,” said ACLU lawyer Daniel Ortiz at a press conference.
“My wife and kids are living in terror because a government agency couldn’t protect our data.” — Javier Morales, on video call from El Salvador. https://twitter.com/JavierMorales/status/1659123456789012345— Javier Morales (@JavierMorales) April 27, 2025
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) has called for congressional hearings, demanding ICE head Kristen King testify on “how such a catastrophic breach could occur.” Meanwhile, Homeland Security’s internal watchdog is conducting an emergency review of data-handling protocols.
Amid mounting pressure, ICE announced it would take the portal offline and notify impacted families by certified mail—but María says that’s too little, too late. “They’ve already put us on a target list,” she warned in a video shared by Viral Press, urging viewers to sign a petition demanding immediate repatriation for Javier.
Advocates fear that similar leaks may have endangered thousands. A ProPublica investigation suggests at least 2,300 family addresses were exposed before the error was caught. Counselors report a surge in calls to immigrant-support hotlines from terrified relatives unsure if their shared Mexican-born loved ones will face the same fate.
As María Elena plans a hunger strike outside ICE headquarters in Washington, she pleads: “Bring my husband home. Protect our family.” With her address still floating in cyberspace and no safe haven in sight, her fight underscores a brutal truth: data mistakes can carry life-or-death consequences for vulnerable communities.
