Records find that ‘overwhelming majority’ of people sent to ‘world’s worst prison’ by Trump administration have no criminal record
A report from CBS News’ 60 Minutes has revealed some troubling information about a recent decision made by the Trump administration. After Donald Trump became the 47th President of the United States, he quickly signed a number of executive orders focused on cracking down on immigration.
One of those orders, called “Protecting the American People Against Invasion,” accused President Biden’s administration of letting millions of undocumented immigrants enter the country. The order claimed these people were dangerous, involved in crimes, or possibly connected to terrorism.
To act on this order, Trump’s administration deported over 200 people from Texas to a massive, high-security prison in El Salvador called CECOT. This prison is known as one of the most dangerous and harshest in the world. It houses extremely violent criminals, including gang members and murderers.
The Trump administration used an old law from 1798 the Alien Enemies Act to justify these deportations. This law was originally used during wartime to allow the US to deport foreigners from countries considered enemies. Trump argued the US was facing an “invasion” of immigrants tied to organized crime, even though the situation wasn’t a war.
Although a judge temporarily paused the deportations, some planes had already taken off. In total, 238 Venezuelan migrants were reportedly flown to this prison in El Salvador. What’s shocking is that the majority of these people, according to the report, had no criminal records at all.
60 Minutes reviewed government documents and cross-checked them with court records and arrest reports from both the US and other countries. They found that 179 of the 238 men deported about 75% had no known criminal record. For those who did have records, most were non-violent offenses like trespassing or theft. Only a small number, around a dozen, were accused of serious crimes like murder or assault.
About three percent of the cases were unclear meaning it’s not known whether they had any criminal history. In response, a spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security claimed that even if these individuals didn’t have records in the US, some of them might still be connected to terrorism, gangs, or human rights violations.
But this claim hasn’t been backed up with public evidence so far, and many people are concerned that innocent individuals were sent to a dangerous prison without proper justification.
The Department of Homeland Security has been contacted for more details, but the situation has already sparked serious debate about human rights, fairness, and the use of presidential power.
