This Is Hell! Deep Background on Bukele's Gulags in El Salvador / John Washington
Jul 9, 2025
John Washington, a staff writer at Arizona Luminaria and author on immigration and criminal justice, joins the conversation to delve into the harsh realities of President Bukele's prison system in El Salvador. They discuss how U.S. policies have shaped these conditions, the authoritarian tactics used to control dissent, and the implications of Bukele's controversial crime strategies, including his embrace of cryptocurrency. Washington also highlights the parallels between American and Salvadoran authoritarianism, raising urgent questions about the future of governance and human rights.
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CECOT Deportations Were A Botched Policy
- Chuck Mertz outlines the Trump administration's botched plan to send Venezuelans to El Salvador.
- He warns that CECOT sentences functionally equal life and pose grave human-rights risks.
U.S. Funds Harsh Deportations
- Chuck Mertz notes the U.S. sent $6 million to the El Salvadoran government.
- That payment funded deportations into a prison system that functions as permanent detention.
CICOT As A Black-Hole Prison
- John Washington says CICOT was designed to be a black hole prison with near-total isolation.
- It holds people with almost no outside contact in brutally overcrowded conditions.
