Staunch Cold War Ally Faces Deportation from U.S.

General Eugenio Vides Casanova, a former defense minister from El Salvador, was found by a 1983 United States Department of State report to have "acquiesced" in the cover-up to the rape and murder of four Catholic nuns and the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero. He has also been found liable for the brutal and systematic torture of the detained Salvadorans during his time in power.

At the same time, Mr. Vides Casanova was a valued cold war ally of the United States who was praised for his iron-fisted approach to the battle with marxist guerillas. He was awarded the Legion of Merit award by President Reagan. He eventually retired to a coastal community in Miami, Florida.

Now, the Department of Homeland Security is seeking to deport this once valued ally for his role in torture and other human rights abuses. An immigration court in Florida is scheduled to hear Mr. Vides Casanova’s removal proceedings this week. Though normally removal proceedings take only a half-day, the immigration court has scheduled Mr. Vides Casanova’s case for a full week. Former U.S. ambassadors are supposed to both testify against Mr. Vides Casanova and in his defense.

This case involves a fascinating intersection between the U.S. history of realpolitik foreign policy in opposing leftists and Latin America and the Department of Homeland Security’s desire to deport a man responsible for severe human rights abuses. It will be interesting to see how it unfolds.

For more on the removal proceedings against General Eugenio Vides Casanova, click on the following links:

-article from the Florida Center for Investigative Reporting;

-article from The Guardian;

-article from The New York Times.

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