El Salvador
El Salvador’s Prison Machine
In 2022, President Nayib Bukele implemented a temporary state of exception to combat gang violence in El Salvador. It remains in effect three years later, amid claims that it has enabled systematic human rights violations, including arbitrary arrests, torture, inhumane prison conditions, forced labor and detention without due process.
When Tattoos Become a Crime
The Trump administration has deported dozens of Venezuelan men to CECOT, El Salvador’s notorious megaprison built under President Nayib Bukele. In Venezuela, the families of the deportees are taking to the streets in protest, demanding answers and the release of their loved ones.
Partners in Crime
El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has earned an invitation to the White House for his spectacular, performative incarceration of U.S. deportees. The highly curated images of the transfer are advertising for the services of the Salvadoran prison system, for sale to the Trump administration and beyond.