Post Reports – Episode Summary

Title: They were deported to El Salvador’s megaprison. What happened inside?
Date: September 2, 2025
Host: Elahe Izadi
Guest/Reporter: Samantha Schmidt

Overview

This episode investigates the fate of over 250 Venezuelan deportees, including Roger Molina, who were sent by the Trump administration to El Salvador’s notorious “megaprison,” Secot (or Sicot). Most had no criminal records, yet they faced brutal conditions inside a prison famed for housing the “worst of the worst.” Reporter Samantha Schmidt, after speaking with more than a dozen released detainees, provides the most comprehensive glimpse yet into what happened within Secot – and explores how these deportees eventually found their way out amid international legal and political maneuvering.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Deportation and Roger’s Story ([00:31]-[10:58])

• Introduction to Roger Molina ([00:31]-[06:00])

  • Roger is a 29-year-old Venezuelan and aspiring soccer player who fled his country for Colombia, before receiving conditional resettlement to the US as a refugee, under the Safe Mobility Initiative.
  • His journey represents the broader Venezuelan exodus caused by Maduro's authoritarian rule and economic crisis.
  • Quote – Samantha Schmidt ([07:09]): “This was the American dream. This was an opportunity they never thought they would have...It was a blessing for them.”

• Detention in the US and Sudden Deportation ([06:00]-[10:58])

  • At Houston airport, Roger is interrogated due to his tattoos and accused, without evidence, of gang affiliation.
  • He is detained, then unexpectedly sent to El Salvador instead of Venezuela as part of a mass deportation orchestrated by the Trump administration invoking wartime powers.
  • Quote – Samantha Schmidt ([09:10]): “He vehemently denies it. And we have documents from his vetting process...There is no indication...that Roger was a member...of the Nidragua [gang].”

Origins and Infamy of Secot, the Megaprison ([10:58]-[13:45])

• Context of Prison’s Construction ([11:08]-[12:34])
  • Built in 2023 under President Nayib Bukele as a symbol of a violent crackdown on gangs, Secot is the largest prison in the Americas, infamous for its secrecy and lack of due process.
  • Mass arrests, often based on tattoos or mere suspicion, have swept up over 85,000 people.
  • Quote – Samantha Schmidt ([12:05]): “It has been seen as the place where the worst gang members are sent. And we know very little about the conditions inside.”

The Deportees’ Ordeal Inside Secot ([13:45]-[21:06])

• The Traumatizing Transfer and Arrival ([13:52]-[15:47])

  • Deported without knowledge of their destination, detainees recount shackling, threats, and immediate beatings upon arrival.
  • Quote – Samantha Schmidt ([13:52]): “In one case, one man...his mouth was taped and he was basically strapped to a chair in the back of the plane…They were shackled at their wrists, waists, and ankles.”

• Life in the Prison: Squalid Conditions and Abuse ([16:13]-[20:38])

  • Cells housed up to 20 Venezuelans amid bunks stacked four high, open toilets, foul air, and perpetual light.
  • Detention included near-total isolation, lack of communication, and deprivation of food and water.
  • Reports chronicle extended beatings, torture in “La Isla” (the isolation cell), sexual assault, hunger strikes, and self-harm as means of protest.
  • Quote – Samantha Schmidt ([17:56]): “Many of them, all of them really, described frequent, repeated beatings...One...was beaten unconscious, another walked out bruised, struggling to walk, another was vomiting blood.”
  • Quote – Roger Molina via Samantha Schmidt ([19:33]): “We wanted them to see we were willing to die.”

• Limited Contact with the Outside and Signs of Manipulation ([21:12]-[22:25])

  • Visits from officials (e.g., Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, US politicians) were met with superficial improvements.
  • Red Cross facilitated brief family messages, closely censored by prison staff.

Legal Responsibility and Governments’ Response ([23:33]-[29:51])

• Questions of International Law ([23:33]-[25:10])

  • Legal experts suggest the treatment may violate the UN Convention Against Torture and constitute potential crimes against humanity, raising the specter of International Criminal Court involvement.
  • Quote – Samantha Schmidt ([23:50]): “If these accounts are true, the Venezuelan’s treatments at Secot may have violated UN conventions against torture...”

• Official Responses (or Lack Thereof) ([25:19]-[29:51])

  • Salvadoran officials repeatedly declined to comment; a US-based Bukele lobbyist denied allegations, characterizing deportees as criminals.
  • DHS and White House responses persisted in labeling detainees as gang members, despite their own admissions that many had no criminal record.
  • Quote – DHS Spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin ([28:47]): “President Trump and Secretary Kristi Noem will not allow criminal gangs to terrorize American citizens...”
  • Reporter Note ([25:36]): “They have never responded to me. A lobbyist...has continued to say that these detainees are criminals who belong in prison, that their claims are baseless.”

The Prisoner Swap and Release ([29:51]-[33:08])

• Negotiated Freedom ([29:59]-[32:25])

  • In July, as part of a high-level swap, Venezuela released 10 Americans and El Salvador freed over 250 Venezuelans, returning them home.
  • Detainees saw clues in improved treatment and personal grooming, before being bused out at dawn.
  • Quote – Samantha Schmidt ([32:27]): “Euphoric. They started singing...the new words went: if I had faith as small as a mustard seed, I would tell my brothers we’re leaving...And the locks will break. Officials told us to sit down...and we said, no, we’re happy. Let us celebrate.”

• Bittersweet Homecoming ([33:08]-[33:40])

  • While grateful to the Venezuelan government for their release, many, including Roger, were deeply traumatized and unlikely to attempt the US journey again.
  • Quote – Samantha Schmidt ([33:40]): “The American dream became a nightmare.”

The Unknown Fate of Other Detainees ([34:23]-[36:08])

• Salvadoran Prisoners Left Behind ([34:23]-[36:08])
  • At least a dozen Salvadorans remain locked in Secot, with little hope or legal recourse, and severe restrictions on communication.
  • The Venezuelans hope telling their stories will shine a light on the continued suffering inside Secot.

Notable Quotes and Moments

• On arrival at prison:
  • Samantha Schmidt relays the director’s words ([02:51]):
    “Welcome to secot. You are here as condemned people. The only way that you will leave is inside a black bag.”
• On realizing the US may have no idea:
  • Roger Molina ([20:50]):
    “I thought that maybe the United States had no idea what was going on inside, that maybe the US didn’t realize how much they were beating us and the extent of the abuse inside.”
• On the future of deportations and the prison:
  • Samantha Schmidt ([34:32]):
    “We don’t know if the US will be sending more people there...We understand that about 14,000 Salvadorans remain incarcerated in Secot, and there’s no indication that they’re going to be able to be released anytime soon.”
• On trauma and shattered dreams:
  • Samantha Schmidt ([33:40]):
    “Having lived through that, he said the American dream became a nightmare.”

Important Timestamps

• [00:31] – Roger Molina’s homecoming and background
• [07:09] – Roger’s US journey, vetting, and abrupt detention
• [09:10] – False gang accusations, legal vetting
• [13:52] – Deportees’ frightening transport to El Salvador
• [16:13] – Description of Secot’s living conditions
• [17:56] – Accounts of repeated beatings and torture in isolation
• [19:33] – Extreme protests: hunger strikes, self-mutilation
• [21:12] – Outside officials’ staged visits and Red Cross contacts
• [23:50] – Legal ramifications of torture, international law discussion
• [25:36] – Salvadoran government’s stonewalling, Bukele lobbyist’s denials
• [28:47] – US government’s continued criminalization of deportees
• [32:27] – Emotional departure and impromptu detainee choir
• [34:32] – The unresolved plight of Salvadoran detainees remaining in Secot

Tone and Style

The episode balances factual, investigative reporting with deep empathy toward the deportees’ suffering. Harrowing firsthand testimonies are complemented by careful analyses of international law, political motivations, and the silence/denial by authorities. The tone is sober, questioning, and intent on exposing hidden abuses.

Conclusion

This episode provides a rare, intimate look at US-led deportation policies, the extremity of abuse inside El Salvador’s largest prison, and the lasting trauma inflicted on people like Roger Molina. It spotlights a complex web of politics, law, and human rights – and leaves listeners with pressing questions about accountability, justice, and the fate of those who remain trapped in the megaprison.