On December 21, just three hours before it was scheduled to air, CBS News postponed a '60 Minutes' report on El Salvador’s Cecot prison, where the United States has recently sent hundreds of immigrants, most of whom are of Venezuelan background.
According to a post shared on the program’s social media pages, the report would air at a later date.
A CBS News spokesperson mentioned that additional reporting was required for the segment. However, according to The New York Times, which cited a note written by Sharyn Alfonsi, a correspondent who worked on the segment, the decision was made for "political reasons."
In February 2025, the Trump administration and El Salvador's president announced an agreement allowing the US to send both detained migrants and imprisoned citizens to the mega-prison in El Salvador. President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador is known for his hardline stance on crime, especially gang-related activities. In 2023, he opened the Terrorism Confinement Center, or Cecot.
In March 2025, 300 alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang were deported from the United States to Cecot without trial. In April, the Supreme Court of the United States allowed individuals to be deported to another country, but only after a court hearing. Later in the month, President Donald Trump suggested the idea of deporting US citizens who had committed violent crimes to the facility–and invited Bukele to build similar ones.
In this gallery, we take you on a journey inside El Salvador’s mega-prison. Click on for more.