Apparently, the U.S. has sent 238 migrants to a prison that’s been called the ‘worst in the world’. But here’s the thing… most of them didn’t even have any kind of criminal record!
Trump signed some crazy executive orders right after taking office
Right after Trump became the 47th president back in January, he started signing a bunch of executive orders, most of them targeting the millions of migrants already living in the U.S.
This order accused some migrants of being violent threats to the US society
One of those orders, called Protecting the American People Against Invasion, basically pointed fingers at Biden’s team, saying they let “millions of illegal aliens” into the country. It claimed these people were a big threat to public safety and national security.
It even went further, saying some were involved in things like spying, messing with the economy, and maybe even planning terror attacks.
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The administration deported hundreds to a prison in El Salvador
Following that order, Trump’s team started taking action immediately. They ended up deporting more than 200 people from Texas, calling them “criminals” and sending them straight to this huge maximum-security prison in El Salvador.
This brought back a law that hasn’t been invoked since World War II
Trump used a pretty old law—one that dates back to 1798, called the Alien Enemies Act. It was actually used during WWII. He argued that the U.S. was facing an “invasion” of immigrants connected to organized crime, using that to back up the executive order and push for all those mass deportations.
Actually, a judge even tried to stop the deportations mid-flight
So, a judge named James E. Boasberg tried to put a stop to the deportations, but by the time he made his move, some of the flights had already taken off.
Migrants were sent to one of the world’s harshest prisons
A total of 238 Venezuelan migrants were flown from Texas to this place called the Center for Terrorism Confinement (CECOT). It’s the biggest prison in the Americas and is known as the worst in the world. They lock up some of the most dangerous criminals there, from gangsters to mass murderers.
Turns out, most of the people deported didn’t even have a criminal record
CBS News’ 60 Minutes found out that while the names of the Venezuelan men sent to El Salvador last month haven’t been made public, they got their hands on government papers that listed their names and any criminal history—none of which seemed to be there.
An investigation found no records for 75% of them
After digging through court filings, arrest records, and news reports, 60 Minutes couldn’t find any criminal records for 179 of the men who were sent to the prison.
Only a few were accused of serious crimes
60 Minutes found that only about 22% of the men had any kind of criminal record, either in the U.S. or elsewhere. And most of those offenses were for things like trespassing or theft—nothing too violent. Of that 22 percent, only about a dozen were accused of serious crimes like murder, rape, assault, or kidnapping.
But officials claim the men are dangerous anyway
A spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security told 60 Minutes that even though some of these men don’t have criminal records, they’re still dangerous, calling them terrorists, human rights abusers, gangsters, and more.
