Dough Specht interviewd by KQED on U.S. $6M deal with Salvadoran mega-prison

The U.S. government has paid $6 million to El Salvador to detain approximately 300 Venezuelan and Salvadoran nationals, many of whom were deported under the rarely used Alien Enemies Act of 1798 without due process. These individuals are being held in CECOT, El Salvador’s notorious mega-prison, which has been criticized for human rights abuses.

The arrangement is opaque and legally contentious, prompting media outlets, lawmakers, and civil rights groups to demand transparency. Some detainees had no criminal records, and their alleged gang ties—particularly to Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua—are disputed.

In an interview with KQED, a California-based media group affiliated with NPR, CAMRI’s Doug Specht emphasized the extreme rarity of any country “importing” alleged violent criminals, especially individuals who aren’t citizens of the receiving country.

“That’s not a repatriation, it’s not an extradition. That is a movement of human beings beyond their nationality into a state of which they have no rights,” he said.

El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele proposed hosting these prisoners as part of a broader power and image-building campaign. The U.S. sees this as a cost-saving move, but critics argue it undermines civil liberties, legal norms, and international human rights law.

Specht expressed fear that Bukele’s growing influence—through such deals—could destabilize the region and harm millions of ordinary people: “ That kind of influence will ripple across the region…I’m fearful for what that means for the millions and millions of people who live in these countries who are often just trying to exist.”

Read the full article here.

Image by Ichigo121212 from Pixabay