Overview
- Responding to Hillary Clinton’s post sharing a PBS Frontline video on alleged prison abuse, Nayib Bukele said he would release every inmate to any country that accepts them, insisting the transfer must include gang leaders and those labeled political prisoners.
- Clinton’s post highlighted accounts from three Venezuelan men who say the U.S. branded them Tren de Aragua members without evidence before sending them to CECOT.
- CBS News’ 60 Minutes pulled a planned investigation into conditions at CECOT hours before airtime, prompting questions over why the segment was postponed.
- CECOT has become central to President Trump’s deportation policy and a U.S. court fight since March, as released detainees and rights groups allege torture, prolonged solitary confinement, overcrowding and inadequate medical care.
- Bukele defends the prison as part of a state-of-emergency crackdown launched in 2022 that has led to more than 90,000 detentions, saying his government is prioritizing public safety for Salvadorans.