The rise of Trump's key deportation partner
Nestled amid cultivated fields and tropical hardwoods, with the giant San Vicente volcano looming in the background, sits a sprawling prison known for its harsh conditions: El Salvador's CECOT facility.
President Donald Trump has deported hundreds of Venezuelans to CECOT in a partnership with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele. Controversy over the deportations and the conditions at CECOT have put a spotlight on Bukele, a self-described strongman who says the megaprison is helping him fight the dangerous gang MS-13.
In a story based on deep reporting and documents, Paste BN’s Dan Morrison describes how Bukele rose to power on a tide of support from the very gang he is credited with defeating. His story is an example of our facts-forward approach to covering Trump’s mass deportations.
👋 Paste BN Editor-in-Chief Caren Bohan here. Welcome to The Backstory, our newsletter exclusively for subscribers (that’s you!). I’ll be taking you behind the scenes of our breaking news coverage, scoops and unique storytelling. Today, I'm showcasing two stories that received a flush of reader comments and insights − a true sign of Paste BN answering the questions our audience asks.
First, here are a few of my favorite headlines from Paste BN this week:
- AI and tariffs are making the job hunt difficult for 2025 grads.
- Public housing failed miserably in Chicago. Why is the city now opening a housing museum?
- Do you have a "living room kid" or a "bedroom kid"?
- The White House wants women to have more babies. They're ignoring part of the problem: men.
Context helps readers 'decide what we believe'
Bukele was elected on a pledge to end gang violence and bring down El Salvador’s alarming homicide rates. The Center for the Confinement of Terrorism, or CECOT, was built to incarcerate the country’s worst criminals.
Inmates sleep on stacked metal bunks without mattresses or sheets and are kept in cells 23½ hours a day. Artificial lighting is on 24 hours a day. They are allowed into the hallway for 30 minutes a day for exercise or Bible reading.
CECOT is where Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the wrongfully deported Salvadoran migrant at the center of a deportation storm, was initially sent, although he was later moved.
Morrison, who leads Paste BN’s world coverage, watched clips of Bukele’s Oval Office visit with Trump and wanted to learn more about a figure who, despite his new prominence, isn't well known in the United States.
“As small as El Salvador is, the place and its history are super-complex,” Morrison said, adding that the facts he learned from documents and interviews “led to more questions, more facts and the need for more context.”
“My story sought to show the origins of Trump’s smiling Oval Office guest and let readers decide what to make of it,” he said.
When it comes to our coverage of the deportations, our readers have told us they value this approach.
For example, in response to an exclusive Paste BN story last month releasing audio of Abrego Garcia’s wife pleading for protection from him, one reader commented: “I wish more news outlets would report all of the news and let us decide what we believe.”
Helping you make sense of Trump's tax bill
We’ve also received reader comments on our coverage of Trump’s sweeping tax bill. Our aim is to break down the details of the bill for ordinary Americans, as opposed to focusing on the inside baseball of the Capitol Hill negotiations.
“Thank you for your illuminating article in this morning's paper on the GOP bill currently under consideration by the Senate,” one reader wrote in response to Congress reporter Riley Beggin’s story about lesser-known provisions that could have an impact on Americans’ lives, from the court system to their local gym.
The provision on judges would restrict their ability to hold people accountable for violating court orders. It comes as some judges consider contempt orders against the Trump administration for ignoring their rulings.
Another little-known section would deem fitness expenses “qualified” medical care, allowing people to use Health Savings Accounts for costs such as gym memberships.
Thank you
I'm so grateful for reporters like Dan who put their all into such dynamic, thoughtful reporting. Thank you for supporting our journalism with your subscription. Our work wouldn't be possible without you.
Best wishes,
Caren