The Trump administration has sparked outrage by releasing photos showcasing alleged Venezuelan gang members, deported from the US, enduring harsh conditions in El Salvador’s maximum-security CECOT prison. Unlike the Abu Ghraib scandal under George W. Bush, where leaked images exposed prisoner abuse in Iraq, Trump officials openly shared these images, framing them as proof of tough immigration policies. The photos show detainees in shackles, heads shaved, packed into crowded cells, echoing the brutality of Abu Ghraib. Human Rights Watch reports 350 deaths in Salvadoran prisons since 2022, citing torture and neglect. The administration claims the detainees, linked to Tren de Aragua, threaten US security, but evidence remains thin, fueling comparisons to past war on terror abuses.
Trump Brags About El Salvador Prison Abuse
Ted Rall
Ted Rall is a syndicated political cartoonist for Andrews McMeel Syndication and WhoWhatWhy.org and Counterpoint. He is a contributor to Centerclip and co-host of "The TMI Show" talk show. He is a graphic novelist and author of many books of art and prose, and an occasional war correspondent. He is, recently, the author of the graphic novel "2024: Revisited."
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Well… Abu Ghraib wasn’t about deterring people from seeking refuge in the US, but El Salvador is. That said, both are crimes against humanity–but who is going to bell the cat? Then, as now, the Empire and its Emperor can act with impunity.