Thanks again for your amazingly detailed critique of Fox News’ sensationalist and misleading framing of immigration, focusing on how the network conflated two unrelated stories: the brutal murder of Rachel Morin by an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador, and the wrongful deportation of Kilmar Ábrego García, a different immigrant who had never been convicted of a crime.
The prison Abrego Garcia was sent to (Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo), arguably one of the worst places in the world - was conceived and constructed by the government of Nayib Bukele.
Bukele, El Salvador’s president since 2019, has rapidly transformed the country’s political landscape through a combination of populist appeal, social media savvy, and an iron-fisted crackdown on gangs. However, Bukele’s consolidation of power has come at the cost of democratic norms: he has replaced judges with loyalists, pushed through electoral reforms favoring his party, and sought re-election despite constitutional prohibitions. International observers and human rights groups have condemned widespread abuses, including arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and the use of state violence to replace gang violence, but Bukele’s popularity remains high, buoyed by tangible security gains and support from U.S. conservatives [1].
El Faro, El Salvador’s foremost investigative news outlet, has played a critical role in exposing corruption, secret gang negotiations, and abuses of power under Bukele’s administration. In retaliation, El Faro’s journalists have faced relentless government harassment, including public defamation, spurious legal investigations, and, most alarmingly, sophisticated digital surveillance. El Faro staff members were targeted with Pegasus spyware-an unprecedented campaign attributed by experts to the Salvadoran government, aiming to monitor sources and disrupt critical reporting [2] . The attacks forced El Faro to relocate its management to Costa Rica and prompted a lawsuit against the NSO Group in U.S. federal court [3]. Despite these pressures, El Faro continues its investigative work, podcasts and opinion columns [4]
Nayib Bukele began his political career within the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) originated as a leftist guerrilla coalition fighting against El Salvador’s military dictatorship during the civil war (1980–1992). His rapid rise was initially supported by the party, which saw him as a charismatic figure capable of broadening its appeal, especially among younger voters. In 2017, after a series of confrontations Bukele was expelled for “defamatory acts,” disrespect for women’s rights, and disqualifying comments against party members. As president, Bukele has made the elimination of the FMLN as a political force a central goal. FMLN commemorated its 44th anniversary in 2024 but many historic FMLN leaders were absent, reportedly due to judicial proceedings and exile, which they describe as politically motivated persecution. Despite these challenges, current FMLN members emphasized the ongoing struggle for social rights, criticizing the government’s focus on economic rather than social issues, and condemned lack of transparency and high official salaries. The FMLN leadership also expressed solidarity with international causes, including the Palestinian and Lebanese communities [5].
1. Google search terms: Bukele, El Salvador, 2019
2. Google search terms: El Salvador, El Faro, Pegasus
Thanks again for your amazingly detailed critique of Fox News’ sensationalist and misleading framing of immigration, focusing on how the network conflated two unrelated stories: the brutal murder of Rachel Morin by an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador, and the wrongful deportation of Kilmar Ábrego García, a different immigrant who had never been convicted of a crime.
The prison Abrego Garcia was sent to (Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo), arguably one of the worst places in the world - was conceived and constructed by the government of Nayib Bukele.
Bukele, El Salvador’s president since 2019, has rapidly transformed the country’s political landscape through a combination of populist appeal, social media savvy, and an iron-fisted crackdown on gangs. However, Bukele’s consolidation of power has come at the cost of democratic norms: he has replaced judges with loyalists, pushed through electoral reforms favoring his party, and sought re-election despite constitutional prohibitions. International observers and human rights groups have condemned widespread abuses, including arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and the use of state violence to replace gang violence, but Bukele’s popularity remains high, buoyed by tangible security gains and support from U.S. conservatives [1].
El Faro, El Salvador’s foremost investigative news outlet, has played a critical role in exposing corruption, secret gang negotiations, and abuses of power under Bukele’s administration. In retaliation, El Faro’s journalists have faced relentless government harassment, including public defamation, spurious legal investigations, and, most alarmingly, sophisticated digital surveillance. El Faro staff members were targeted with Pegasus spyware-an unprecedented campaign attributed by experts to the Salvadoran government, aiming to monitor sources and disrupt critical reporting [2] . The attacks forced El Faro to relocate its management to Costa Rica and prompted a lawsuit against the NSO Group in U.S. federal court [3]. Despite these pressures, El Faro continues its investigative work, podcasts and opinion columns [4]
Nayib Bukele began his political career within the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) originated as a leftist guerrilla coalition fighting against El Salvador’s military dictatorship during the civil war (1980–1992). His rapid rise was initially supported by the party, which saw him as a charismatic figure capable of broadening its appeal, especially among younger voters. In 2017, after a series of confrontations Bukele was expelled for “defamatory acts,” disrespect for women’s rights, and disqualifying comments against party members. As president, Bukele has made the elimination of the FMLN as a political force a central goal. FMLN commemorated its 44th anniversary in 2024 but many historic FMLN leaders were absent, reportedly due to judicial proceedings and exile, which they describe as politically motivated persecution. Despite these challenges, current FMLN members emphasized the ongoing struggle for social rights, criticizing the government’s focus on economic rather than social issues, and condemned lack of transparency and high official salaries. The FMLN leadership also expressed solidarity with international causes, including the Palestinian and Lebanese communities [5].
1. Google search terms: Bukele, El Salvador, 2019
2. Google search terms: El Salvador, El Faro, Pegasus
3. Google search terms: El Faro, Costa Rica
4. https://elfaro.net/es/202505/columnas/27819/la-maquinaria-anti-trump-se-enfrenta-a-bukele-en-estados-unidos
https://elfaro.net/es/202505/ef_radio/27821/podcast-la-lucha-politica-en-washington-por-los-encarcelados-en-el-cecot
https://elfaro.net/es/202505/columnas/27811/reflexiones-historicas-sobre-guantanamo-y-el-salvador
5. https://www.radiohc.cu/en/noticias/internacionales/366946-el-salvador-commemorates-the-44th-anniversary-of-the-farabundo-marti-national-liberation-front