You and your family may have to return to El Salvador, either voluntarily or due to deportation. If you face this possibility, plan ahead to make the process as simple and safe as possible for you and your family.
Breathe. Know that your family and community are holding you in their thoughts and prayers and it is your own inner strength that will get you through this difficult transition. Take good care.
Before you leave the U.S.
- Contact the Salvadoran Consulate
- Make an appointment with the consulate to get passports and other re-entry documents for you and your family. Find your nearest consulate: https://rree.gob.sv/embajadas-consulados-y-misiones-permanentes-de-la-republica-de-el-salvador/
- Go to the official portal to make your appointment online: https://portalcitas.rree.gob.sv/#/sessions/signin
- For a list of services, check: https://rree.gob.sv/servicios-consulares/
2. Legal & Identity Documents
- Sign and give Power of Attorney to someone you trust in the U.S. to handle finances and legal matters while you’re gone. This person will act as your representative.
- Consult an immigration expert before signing any document from U.S. immigration authorities.
3. Financial and Housing Preparations
- Take care of your finances.
- Sell or transfer your real estate.
- Use banks to transfer funds from the U.S. to El Salvador.
- Make arrangements for where you will go in El Salvador. Let your representative know how to contact you there.
4. Family Preparations
- Complete a family preparedness plan: https://www.ilrc.org/community-resources/family-preparedness-plan
- Share a copy with the person you have given Power of Attorney.
- Keep all your documents safe.
- Children & Dual Citizenship
- Children of Salvadoran parents born in the U.S. may have the right to dual citizenship. Check with the Salvadoran Consulate for application information.
- Note: Minors with U.S. citizenship traveling to El Salvador must have:
- A valid U.S. passport
- A notarized consent form from the other parent or legal guardian permitting their travel
- Traveling separately from your children?
- Sign an authorization letter for the caregiver traveling with your child.
- If your child stays in the U.S., sign a Power of Attorney authorizing the caregiver to provide care.
5. Collect Additional Documents
- Read the consulate website so you know what documents to bring.
- Bring originals and copies for each family member:
- School records and diplomas (notarized by school registrar)
- U.S. birth certificates
- Immunization records, medical records, and prescriptions
- Marriage, divorce, and/or death certificates
6. What to Bring With You
- Phone numbers of family/friends in El Salvador & the U.S. (memorize them)
- Phone card, charger, and backup battery
- An address in El Salvador (needed for forms and job applications—use a family member’s if needed)
- Medications and written prescriptions. Diabetics may also bring nutrition items, like an energy bar.
- ID or driver’s license from any Salvadoran city or institution, such as a Documento Único de Identidad (DUI).
7. Tips & Warnings
- TIP: Two last names (father’s last name, mother’s last name) may be required on all official documents. Be consistent in providing names.
- TIP: Get more than one original birth certificate for each child because you may need them.
- WARNING: Keep in mind, buying fake Salvadoran birth certificates can jeopardize your child’s dual citizenship.
- REMINDER: Avoid notarios!
- REMINDER: During deportation, you may experience dehumanizing behavior from ICE officials. Your possessions may not be intact or returned to you at all. If you can remember officials’ names or get their badge numbers, it could be helpful in the future or for others.
Arriving in El Salvador
- General Cautions
- To stay safe, make a friend on the bus or plane. Stay together to support each other.
- Be alert and calm. Blend in and comply with authority.
- Avoid casual street encounters, including eye contact. Don’t look vulnerable, but also don’t look overconfident.
- Be prepared for bribes. Have $40 to $100 in cash in $10 and $20 bills. Keep them in different pockets.
- Keep contact information for your family in El Salvador (and all documents that prove your identity and deportation status) on you, not in your bag.
- Don’t use an offered cell phone to call your family. If you come across a trusted organization or a public institution, you can ask to make a phone call. If you have a cell phone, share your location with people you trust. Update your family as you travel and use agreed-upon signals in case of danger.
- There have been cases of scams, extortion, and kidnapping. You should do everything possible to be safe. Create a code word with your family to confirm your identity over the phone, or to verify that a request for money is indeed coming from you.
2. Specific Cautions for El Salvador
- The Migrant Assistance Agency (GAMI) is next to an area known as "La Chacra" gang domain. If you do not know the area, ask in the GAMI for help with transport, directions, Wi-Fi, and making phone calls to family.
- Beware of possible coyotes or scammers who may be outside of the GAMI. They may offer untrustworthy trips or fake accommodations for those waiting until the next day to return to their homes in El Salvador.
- Avoid using certain words that people relate to gangs: “mara,” “homeboy,” “jaina,” “brother,” “madre,” “carnal,” “doggie.”
- If you bring your own shoes, avoid wearing Nike Cortez and Adidas (white with three stripes).
- Avoid clothing and shoes with the following numbers: 13, 18, and 503. Do not mention these numbers in conversation.
3. Know Your Rights
- You have the right to have your ID documents and migration paperwork returned to you.
- You have the right to apply for your Document Unico de Identidad (DUI) at the GAMI.
- You have the right to be treated with dignity and without discrimination.
- You have the right to ask law enforcement for clear explanations.
- You have the right to access basic medical and psychological services.
- You have the right to reintegration resources, including information about employment, education, and entrepreneurship opportunities.
4. Repatriation
- In most cases, you will arrive to Monseñor Óscar Arnulfo Romero International Airport and be transported by bus to the Migrant Assistance Agency (GAMI). GAMI is the agency that receives people who return to El Salvador. It is located at: Final Bulevar Coronel Arturo Castellanos, Colonia Quiñonez, San Salvador
- At GAMI, you will meet with different governmental departments to register your reentry, get medical and psychological support, or report any violations of your rights during the deportation process. You can also meet with civil society organizations to receive additional support.
- After you have completed your reentry process, arrange to be picked up by family members or ask for assistance with transportation to a bus terminal.
- You can also ask about reliable taxi services and fair rates. If you need to spend the night before departing, ask for access to safe temporary lodging.
- Children must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian to complete repatriation. For unaccompanied minors, the departments at the GAMI will notify local agencies to reach relatives of the child or adolescent.
Resources
Reintegration Assistance & Legal Orientation to Register Children Born Outside of El Salvador
Grupo de Monitoreo Independiente de El Salvador
(503) 2260- 8001
comunicagmies@gmail.com
Final 13 avenida norte pasaje dos poniente casa #37, Colonia Santa Rosa, San Salvador, El Salvador
CIMITRA (Centro de Integración Para Migrantes Trabajadores y Trabajadoras)
(503) 2242- 7034
(503) 7641- 3065
info@cimitra.org
cimitraelsalvador@gmail.com
1a Calle Poniente y 91 Avenida Norte #4727, Colonia Escalón, San Salvador, El Salvador
Health & Legal Services
Tutela de Derechos Humanos del Arzobispado de San Salvador
(503) 2234- 5321
Avenida Doctor Emilio Álvarez, Calle Doctor Max Bloch primera planta del Edificio del Arzobispado de San Salvador, Colonia Médica, San Salvador, El Salvador
Asociación de Derechos Humanos
Tutela Legal “Dra. María Julia Hernández”
(503) 2118- 2350
tutelalegalmariajh@gmail.com
Urbanización Santa Adela. Pasaje 3 Casa N° 7, Centro de Gobierno, San Salvador, El Salvador