The autocrat's prison

Today, Explained

Vox

Daily News, Politics, News

4.4 • 9.5K Ratings

🗓️ 19 March 2025

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

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 Support Today, Explained by becoming a Vox Member today: http://www.vox.com/members 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The Trump administration is defying a federal judge who's demanding details about a flight to El Salvador.
0:06.7	It carried almost 200 men who the administration says are gang members and who were flown from
0:11.7	U.S. soil after the judge said, don't. President Trump and El Salvador's president, Nae Buckele,
0:18.0	posted video of the shackled men being pulled from the plane by guards in riot gear and transported in white buses to prison.
0:25.8	The official White House Twitter account also reposted a remix of the video set to Semi-Sonic's closing time.
0:38.8	Semi-Sonic responded, The song is about joy and possibilities and hope, and they have missed the point entirely.
0:45.0	Lest we all, let's focus up.
0:47.7	The administration hasn't offered any proof that these men are gang members and acknowledges
0:52.2	many don't even have criminal records in the US.
0:55.3	All this coming up on today, Explained.
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1:41.7	This is the Moonshot podcast. Out now, wherever you listen.
1:53.2	It's today explained. I'm Noelle King with Ted Heson. Ted is an immigration reporter at Reuters.
1:59.7	Ted, President Trump is using the Alien Enemies Act to target a gang called Tren de Aragua.
	...

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