In an alarming policy that should outrage every American who values freedom and justice, the Trump administration is paying El Salvador $15 million to imprison hundreds of U.S. residents in one of the most notorious mega-prisons in the world. The Trump Administration flew 237 people — many with no criminal convictions — by charter planes to El Salvador's Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT). The CECOT facility has been condemned by numerous human rights organizations for its brutal conditions, lack of transparency, and complete disregard for due process or civil liberties.

This is not a humane immigration policy. It's a grotesque outsourcing of state responsibility—an abdication of core American values in favor of spectacle and authoritarianism. 

A Human Rights Crisis, Funded by U.S. Taxpayers

CECOT, El Salvador's mega-prison, has become infamous for inhumane conditions, overcrowding, and reports of torture and arbitrary detention. It is a facility that has locked away tens of thousands under the iron hand of President Nayib Bukele, often without access to legal counsel or trials.

Now, the United States is proposing to send its own citizens there.

This isn't just fiscally irresponsible—it's morally bankrupt. This cruel policy violates the constitutional rights of those imprisoned. This also sends a chilling message to the world: the U.S. is willing to abandon human rights and expel its own citizens to authoritarian regimes for punishment, to make Trump look “tough on crime.”

A Political Stunt Disguised as Policy

This proposal has nothing to do with public safety or fighting gang violence. It's a political stunt meant to project strength by dehumanizing incarcerated individuals and glorifying foreign dictators.

What's worse is that these policies undermine the very foundations of democracy: due process, legal accountability, and government transparency. Our Constitution protects individuals against the awesome power of the federal government by requiring officials to provide evidence to an independent judge to prove guilt or innocence before inflicting punishment. This policy skips this step with claims that trials would be “inconvenient” for the administration.

If this policy moves forward, it will set a terrifying precedent. If the United States government can deport US residents to foreign countries without a trial or conviction, who will be next? Will asylum seekers face detention in a foreign prison? Or undocumented minor children and families? Perhaps political dissidents would be next?

This proposal paves the way for a global prison pipeline—one where human rights are treated as optional, and constitutional protections stop at the border.

An Economic Lie

The administration claims this plan will save money. That's simply false.

Housing 237 inmates in U.S. private prisons costs around $10.1 million annually. This plan would cost as much as $27 million a year—including charter flights that run up to $500,000 per roundtrip. And that doesn't include the legal battles, human rights investigations, or international fallout sure to follow.

We're not saving money—we're funding authoritarianism. The courts should put a stop to it. And American voters should protest this erosion of basic freedoms and rights.

This Is Not Who We Are—And We Must Speak Out

The United States cannot claim to lead on human rights and democracy while quietly sending its own people to a foreign prison notorious for brutality. This plan is an attack on our values, an affront to human dignity, and a betrayal of the Constitution.

Lawmakers must reject this plan unequivocally. Legal advocates, civil rights organizations, and the public must raise their voices now—before this proposal becomes a reality.

Karol de Zwager Brown is an immigration and human rights attorney and the Managing Attorney of World One Law Group, with offices in the United States and the Netherlands.