Shumita Basu

We know very little about the specific conditions this group is being subjected to, but we know there are close to 40,000 people detained at Sakat in all. They're put in communal cells that can hold up to 100 people each. There's no privacy. The toilets are open. The lights are on 24-7.

We know very little about the specific conditions this group is being subjected to, but we know there are close to 40,000 people detained at Sakat in all. They're put in communal cells that can hold up to 100 people each. There's no privacy. The toilets are open. The lights are on 24-7.

We know very little about the specific conditions this group is being subjected to, but we know there are close to 40,000 people detained at Sakat in all. They're put in communal cells that can hold up to 100 people each. There's no privacy. The toilets are open. The lights are on 24-7.

People are not allowed any personal possessions, any visitors or phone calls, and they're not allowed to go outside. And some of the people detained there, like Abrego Garcia, are not supposed to be there. That's because in 2022, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele declared a state of emergency in El Salvador to respond to a surge in gang violence.

People are not allowed any personal possessions, any visitors or phone calls, and they're not allowed to go outside. And some of the people detained there, like Abrego Garcia, are not supposed to be there. That's because in 2022, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele declared a state of emergency in El Salvador to respond to a surge in gang violence.

People are not allowed any personal possessions, any visitors or phone calls, and they're not allowed to go outside. And some of the people detained there, like Abrego Garcia, are not supposed to be there. That's because in 2022, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele declared a state of emergency in El Salvador to respond to a surge in gang violence.

That order is still in place, and it allows police to carry out mass arrests. Violent crime has declined since, but human rights advocates say more than 80,000 arrests happened with no due process, and thousands of innocent people were jailed.

That order is still in place, and it allows police to carry out mass arrests. Violent crime has declined since, but human rights advocates say more than 80,000 arrests happened with no due process, and thousands of innocent people were jailed.

That order is still in place, and it allows police to carry out mass arrests. Violent crime has declined since, but human rights advocates say more than 80,000 arrests happened with no due process, and thousands of innocent people were jailed.

That's Noah Bullock, the executive director of a human rights organization in El Salvador. He spoke with PBS about the lack of legal protections for people in this prison.

That's Noah Bullock, the executive director of a human rights organization in El Salvador. He spoke with PBS about the lack of legal protections for people in this prison.

That's Noah Bullock, the executive director of a human rights organization in El Salvador. He spoke with PBS about the lack of legal protections for people in this prison.

And he says that judicial black hole and the Salvadoran government's insistence that no detainees at CICOT will be released makes it practically impossible to help people who aren't supposed to be there.

And he says that judicial black hole and the Salvadoran government's insistence that no detainees at CICOT will be released makes it practically impossible to help people who aren't supposed to be there.

And he says that judicial black hole and the Salvadoran government's insistence that no detainees at CICOT will be released makes it practically impossible to help people who aren't supposed to be there.

In recent days, the administration sent 10 more men to El Salvador. And President Trump told Bukele he wants him to build, quote, five more places to hold more people, even going so far as to suggest that Trump is open to sending American citizens there next. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following.

In recent days, the administration sent 10 more men to El Salvador. And President Trump told Bukele he wants him to build, quote, five more places to hold more people, even going so far as to suggest that Trump is open to sending American citizens there next. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following.

In recent days, the administration sent 10 more men to El Salvador. And President Trump told Bukele he wants him to build, quote, five more places to hold more people, even going so far as to suggest that Trump is open to sending American citizens there next. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following.

Big Bird and Daniel Tiger are back on the chopping block as the Trump administration plans to ask Congress to rescind nearly all funding for public media, including PBS and NPR. That's according to a memo reviewed by NPR. The order will ask Congress to take back $1.1 billion in federal funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which partially funds both entities.

Big Bird and Daniel Tiger are back on the chopping block as the Trump administration plans to ask Congress to rescind nearly all funding for public media, including PBS and NPR. That's according to a memo reviewed by NPR. The order will ask Congress to take back $1.1 billion in federal funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which partially funds both entities.