The autocrat's prison
19 March 2025

The autocrat's prison

Today, Explained

About
The US is deporting alleged members of the gang Trén de Aragua and paying El Salvador to house them in a mega-prison. But we don’t know if the deportees are actually gang members at all.

This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy and Amanda Lewellyn, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Patrick Boyd, and hosted by Noel King.

Further reading: Inside El Salvador's notorious CECOT mega-prison. Transcript at vox.com/today-explained-podcast
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More than 250 suspected gang members deported from the U.S. arriving in El Salvador's mega-prison. Photo by El Salvador Presidency / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images.
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