CBS cancels CECOT’s prison segment ’60 Minutes’, sparking backlash
CBS pulled a “60 Minutes” show about El Salvador’s CECOT prison hours before it aired, citing “the need for further reporting.”
A “60 Minutes” segment about the notorious El Salvadoran prison was removed by CBS hours before it was scheduled to air, but it went viral after apparently airing in Canada.
Users on social media platforms such as X and Bluesky shared a video of the film on December 22, which appears to have aired on the Global TV Network, which broadcasts some American programming.
This section features the CECOT prison in El Salvador. The prison is known for harsh and dangerous conditions and is used to house immigrant detainees from the United States as part of an agreement with El Salvador.
CBS News previously said in a statement that the station “determined additional coverage was necessary,” adding that it “will air it on a future broadcast.”
But longtime correspondent Sharin Alfonsi, who reported on the story, reportedly said otherwise.
In an email to colleagues obtained by multiple news organizations, including Reuters, Alfonsi said the decision to eliminate the segment was “a political decision, not an editorial one.” She also reportedly said that the film had been screened five times and was cleared by a lawyer. USA TODAY was unable to contact Alfonsi.
USA TODAY has reached out to CBS and Global TV Network about broadcasting in Canada.
Why did “60 Minutes” remove the segment about CECOT prison?
The shelved segment, called “Inside CECOT,” was scheduled to feature interviews with Venezuelan immigrants who were deported to CECOT prisons by President Donald Trump’s administration, according to the original program notes.
The record said Alfonsi spoke with some released deportees who described “the brutal and torturous conditions they endured inside CECOT,” adding that the facility was “one of the harshest prisons in El Salvador.”
Instead, “60 Minutes” will air a segment about the classical musician’s family, according to the program’s latest information. Viewers have since flooded the show’s social media with comments, demanding the network release the original clip.
Paramount, which owns CBS, has faced change over the past year. The company acquired independent media company The Free Press in October and appointed CEO Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News.
What is CECOT prison?
CECOT, officially called the Confinement Center for Terrorism, is a prison in El Salvador that houses some immigrants deported from the United States by the Trump administration as part of an agreement between the two countries.
The deal has been criticized by some because the facility has a reputation for harsh conditions.
A Human Rights Watch report released in November details the experiences of 40 Venezuelan prisoners at CECOT, where they allege they faced constant abuse at the hands of guards. Although the US and Salvadoran governments have accused these prisoners of being terrorists, the report also revealed that many of the prisoners have not been convicted of any crime.
The prison also made headlines when Kilmer Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident and Salvadoran native who had been granted legal protection to stay in the United States in early 2025, was deported to the prison on March 15 by the Trump administration.
Abrego-Garcia was released from prison on December 11 after U.S. District Judge Paula Kisinis of Maryland said the Trump administration had no legal basis to deport him. The Justice Department is contesting this ruling.
“60 Minutes” Paramount and Trump
In addition to Weiss taking the helm at CBS News, Paramount has also undergone leadership changes this year.
David Ellison, the son of Trump ally and Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, said: Became CEO of Paramount in August after company merger Along with Skydance.
In July, before David Ellison took office, Paramount agreed to pay $16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by Trump over a segment on “60 Minutes” that aired last year. He claimed it was edited in favor of former Vice President Kamala Harris during the campaign.
But despite Ellison’s relationship with Trump, the company was not immune to the president’s criticism.
In December, the president slammed CBS News over an interview with Marjorie Taylor Greene.
“They are no better than the old ownership that paid me millions of dollars for false reporting about me, your favorite president!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Dec. 8. “60 Minutes has actually gotten worse since they bought it. Well, it could be worse.”
David Ellison’s Paramount is also pursuing a hostile takeover of Warner Bros., which lost a bidding war to Netflix. President Trump has repeatedly criticized Warner Bros.-owned CNN, calling it “essential” to sell the news network.
Melina Khan is USA TODAY’s national trends reporter. Contact her at melina.khan@usatoday.com.
