Trump Floats Plan to Deport U.S. Citizens to El Salvador's Notorious Mega-Prison—Because Apparently Guantanamo Wasn't Dramatic Enough

Trump Floats Plan to Deport U.S. Citizens to El Salvador's Notorious Mega-Prison—Because Apparently Guantanamo Wasn't Dramatic Enough

In case anyone missed the memo: it’s no longer just about deporting undocumented immigrants—Trump is now openly musing about shipping U.S. citizens off to a foreign supermax prison. Yes, you read that right.

During a cozy Oval Office chat with Nayib Bukele’s crew, Trump casually tossed out the idea of sending so-called “homegrowns” to CECOT—El Salvador’s infamous mega-prison, known for its overcrowding, dystopian conditions, and human rights violations. He even joked they’d need five more of these facilities. Each one holds 40,000 inmates. Do the math.

That’s 240,000 people. A quarter million Americans.

To El Salvador.

To a prison with a global reputation for locking people in cages like sardines.

And just so we're clear—CECOT is already the largest prison in the world. It's not just a bad place. It’s the gold standard of authoritarian penal horror shows.

Now sure, maybe it’s “just talk.” But let’s not forget: this is a man who built an entire immigration policy off a racist fever dream and made kids-in-cages a mainstream idea. When he fantasizes, he tries to make it real.

And what kind of “homegrowns” might be targeted? Well, nearly half the current U.S. prison population is locked up for something labeled a “violent crime.” But that label includes things like purse-snatching and meth production—bad, sure, but not exactly Hannibal Lecter.

Oh, and while we’re here:

The U.S. already incarcerates 2 million people

Black Americans are 38.7% of the prison population but just 14.4% of the total population

So if you're wondering who'd get fast-tracked for deportation to a foreign mega-prison… it probably wouldn't be Wall Street bankers.

The bottom line?

This isn’t just about criminal justice. This is about normalizing the unthinkable.

And if a president can send his own citizens to foreign prisons… what can’t he do?