A year after the controversial agreement between the governments of El Salvador and the United States, the new documentary "The Deal: Trump, Bukele & the Gangs of El Salvador," produced by Frontline and El Faro, details the motivations behind the partnership between the countries and its repercussions.

In the year 2025, Nayib Bukele, who calls himself the "world's coolest dictator," and Donald Trump consolidated an alliance based on a resolution that allowed the "outsourcing" of part of the prison system, through the transfer of illegal immigrants to the maximum-security prison in the Latin American country, the Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT). Considered one of the largest detention centers in the world, CECOT is widely known for violating the human rights of inmates and for being a degrading environment. The complex, despite its size, houses approximately 80 people per cell, with the intention of causing discomfort and internal conflict, and features numerous reports of physical and psychological abuse. Furthermore, personal hygiene is performed in the same environment where they spend 23.5 hours of their day, without mattresses, pillows, or any privacy, a clear violation of the UN NelsonMandela Rules.

In April of last year, approximately 250 immigrants apprehended by ICE, mostly Venezuelans, were deported to Tecoluca on alleged charges of belonging to gangs and criminal groups, such as the Tren de Aragua. However, most of those accused have no criminal record or proof of such a connection to those being sought, making it clear that the operation was yet another policy adopted for the mass deportation plan and the "zero tolerance" rhetoric of the President of the United States. Sent to a prison focused on incarcerating terrorists, this condition now applies to immigrants who had not even committed crimes and were only seeking better living conditions.

The Bukele government became known for the mass imprisonment of members of Salvadoran gangs who terrorized the territory through homicides and trafficking. However, agreements between the president and the criminal organizations themselves, such as MS-13, were discovered, in which certain benefits were given in exchange for a decrease in homicides and electoral support in areas inhabited by the gangs.

In this sense, Bukele's real intentions with the pact are evident. Through US support, he would also have the chance to repatriate the leaders detained in the US, that is, those who could present incriminating evidence about past negotiations and spoil his reelection attempt.

In short, both governments violate human rights in the way they deal with Latin American migrants, who are treated as criminals and used as bargaining chips in incoherent agreements for the benefit of private interests. In this sense, the presented case reinforces the need for greater international vigilance over governments that operate under authoritarianism and justify their actions in false attempts to generate "state security."