CBS Finally Airs Pulled '60 Minutes' CECOT Deportation Report After Internal Fight Over Trump Coverage
On Jan. 18 CBS’s 60 Minutes aired Sharyn Alfonsi’s CECOT deportation segment — about a month after editor‑in‑chief Bari Weiss had it pulled from the Dec. 21 broadcast — adding written statements from the White House and Homeland Security and prompting CBS to frame the broadcast as evidence of editorial independence. The report says that between March and April last year exactly 252 Venezuelan men, including college student Luis Muñoz Pinto, were deported to El Salvador’s CECOT prison under an Alien Enemies Act theory, offers graphic first‑person accounts of beatings and abuse, and notes that Alfonsi repeatedly sought but did not secure on‑camera interviews with key Trump administration officials.
📌 Key Facts
- Between March and April of last year the U.S. deported exactly 252 Venezuelan men to El Salvador’s CECOT prison under an Alien Enemies Act theory.
- CBS’s 60 Minutes segment by Sharyn Alfonsi documenting the CECOT deportations was pulled from the Dec. 21 broadcast by editor‑in‑chief Bari Weiss but was aired on Jan. 18 after an internal fight; CBS leadership said it had always intended to air the piece and framed the broadcast as evidence of CBS News’ independence.
- The version that ran incorporated written statements from the White House and Department of Homeland Security (some dated before Dec. 21), while the body of the story remained unchanged from the version briefly posted online and aired in Canada, indicating the main reporting survived the delay.
- 60 Minutes and Alfonsi repeatedly sought on‑camera interviews with senior Trump administration officials responsible for the policy since November; those officials declined, and Alfonsi told viewers on air that they had declined, though she did not repeat her earlier charge that pulling the piece was a political (rather than editorial) decision.
- The report includes granular, first‑person accounts of alleged torture and abuse at CECOT: detainees bound hand and foot, forced to kneel, heads shaved, extensive bleeding, urination and vomiting from beatings, guards striking them with fists and batons (including broken teeth), and a director allegedly saying they would 'never see the light of day' and welcoming them to 'hell.'
- Many deportees said they believed they were being returned to Venezuela until landing and seeing hundreds of Salvadoran police on the tarmac; they were paraded in shackles for cameras and then bussed to CECOT.
- 60 Minutes identified at least one deported Venezuelan by name, Luis Muñoz Pinto, described as a college student who fled Venezuela, waited in Mexico for a CBP appointment in California, spent six months in U.S. custody, and was abruptly labeled a 'danger to society' and deported despite having no criminal record.
📊 Relevant Data
The Venezuelan immigrant population in the United States grew from approximately 548,000 in 2019 to 1.2 million in 2024, representing a 119% increase, making Venezuelans one of the fastest-growing immigrant groups.
7 facts about Venezuelans in the US — Pew Research Center
Major push factors driving Venezuelan migration include economic collapse with a contraction of over 75% in GDP since 2013, hyperinflation, rampant corruption, political repression, poverty, food scarcity, and human rights violations.
Regional Spillovers from the Venezuelan Crisis: Migration Flows and Their Impact on Latin America and the Caribbean — Joint Data Center
Venezuelan immigrants in the United States have high levels of education, with about 48% holding a bachelor's degree or higher as of 2023, compared to 33% for the overall U.S. population and 28% for other foreign-born populations.
Venezuelan Immigrants in the United States — Migration Policy Institute
Of the 238 Venezuelan migrants deported to El Salvador's CECOT prison in March 2025, records show that 75% had no criminal convictions in the United States, while only 22% had confirmed criminal records.
U.S. deportations have historically contributed to the expansion of gangs like MS-13 in Central America, as deportees from the U.S. in the 1990s and 2000s, poorly integrated into local societies, helped spread gang activities upon return.
3 Criminal Impacts of Revoking TPS for Venezuelans in the US — InSight Crime
📰 Source Timeline (3)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- CBS’s 60 Minutes aired Sharyn Alfonsi’s CECOT deportation segment on Jan. 18, about a month after editor‑in‑chief Bari Weiss ordered it pulled from the Dec. 21 broadcast.
- The version that finally ran incorporated written statements from the White House and Department of Homeland Security that were not in Alfonsi’s original cut, some of them dated before Dec. 21.
- CBS leadership issued a statement saying it had always intended to air the CECOT piece "as soon as it was ready" and framed the broadcast as evidence of CBS News’ independence.
- Alfonsi told viewers the program had repeatedly sought on‑camera interviews with key Trump officials since November and that they declined; she made no on‑air reference to her earlier charge that pulling the piece was a political, not editorial, decision.
- AP notes that the body of the story was unchanged from the version briefly posted online and aired in Canada, confirming that the main reporting survived intact despite the delay.
- Identifies at least one deported Venezuelan, Luis Muñoz Pinto, by name and details his path: a college student fleeing Venezuela, waiting in Mexico for a CBP appointment in California, detained six months in U.S. custody, then abruptly labeled a 'danger to society' and deported despite no criminal record.
- Confirms that between March and April of last year the U.S. deported exactly 252 Venezuelan men to El Salvador’s CECOT prison under an Alien Enemies Act theory, clarifying the number, time window and the use of a wartime statute for this crackdown.
- Provides granular, first‑person descriptions of alleged torture and abuse at CECOT: detainees bound hand and foot, forced to their knees, heads shaved, widespread blood, urination and vomiting from beatings, guards 'savagely' striking them with fists and batons, breaking teeth, and a director allegedly telling them they would 'never see the light of day' and welcoming them to 'hell.'
- Shows that many of the Venezuelan deportees believed they were being returned to Venezuela until landing and seeing hundreds of Salvadoran police waiting on the tarmac, where they were paraded in shackles for cameras and bussed to CECOT.
- Documents that 60 Minutes repeatedly sought on‑camera interviews with senior Trump administration officials responsible for the policy since November; those officials declined, reinforcing that the only detailed accounts of what happened to deportees are coming from victims and foreign authorities, not U.S. policymakers.