After a month of internal controversy and accusations of political interference, CBS News is set to finally broadcast a 60 Minutes investigation into the Trump administration's policy of deporting migrants to a prison in El Salvador described by inmates as "hell."
A Segment Pulled and Reinstated
The report, titled 'Inside CECOT' and reported by Sharyn Alfonsi, was abruptly pulled from the schedule just two hours before its intended airing in December. The newly-installed Editor-in-Chief, Bari Weiss, stated the segment "needed additional reporting" because it lacked an adequate on-camera response from the Trump administration, which had declined to comment.
The decision caused significant internal strife, with Alfonsi arguing in an email to colleagues that spiking the story after it passed all editorial checks was a "political" act, not an editorial one. She warned that allowing the government to kill stories by refusing interviews would turn the programme from an "investigative powerhouse to a stenographer for the state."
The Fight for an Interview and the Final Edit
In an attempt to address Weiss's concerns, producers last week embarked on a last-minute effort to secure an interview with a Trump official, such as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Alfonsi and team members flew to Washington D.C., but the promised interview did not materialise.
As a result, the version airing this Sunday will not feature direct interviews with Trump administration officials on camera. However, it will include statements from several US government agencies and approximately three minutes of new reporting. Changes include an added statistic on criminal deportations and a note that one interviewed migrant has gang or Nazi-associated tattoos, which the administration uses to identify deportation candidates.
Inside the Notorious CECOT Prison
The segment, which accidentally aired in Canada last month, contains harrowing accounts from deported migrants. One college student described being tortured upon arrival at the Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT), recounting a guard's welcome: "Welcome to Hell, I'll make sure you never leave."
Another migrant described beatings in a pitch-black punishment cell. Alfonsi's report also challenges the administration's basis for the deportations, citing data suggesting only eight deported men had been sentenced for violent crimes. The report contrasts these accounts with President Trump's praise of El Salvador's prison system during a meeting with President Nayib Bukele.
A CBS spokesperson stated, "CBS News leadership has always been committed to airing the 60 Minutes CECOT piece as soon as it was ready... Tonight, viewers get to see it, along with other important stories, all of which speak to CBS News' independence and the power of our storytelling." Alfonsi, whose contract expires this summer, is not expected to reference the controversy when she introduces the segment.
