The Trump administration says it has deported 17 more “violent criminals” from the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 gangs to El Salvador, as it doubles down on a policy of removing people from the U.S. to third countries despite criticism over lack of transparency and human rights protections.

Venezuela’s leader has described the deportation of more than 200 migrants sent by the United States to a notorious mega-prison in El Salvador as a “kidnapping,” and denied they are criminals while backing calls for their return.

On a Thursday morning last month, immigration agents knocked on the door of Leonel Echavez' Dallas home looking for someone else. Despite an upcoming immigration hearing, the 19-year-old Venezuelan was taken into custody for questioning about his tattoos.

Suspected members of Venezuela's Tren de Aragua and Mara Salvatrucha-13 gang, who were deported to El Salvador by the U.S. in San Salvador, are checked by authorities before being sent to the country's infamous mega-prison at CECOP facility prison.

In a court filing Monday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement pointed to an "administrative error" for why it deported a man to a prison in El Salvador, even though he has protected legal status in the U.