Bring. Him. Home.; The Bulwark, April 15, 2025

 JONATHAN V. LAST, The Bulwark; Bring. Him. Home.

"Five Questions

We’re going to give elected leaders in the Democratic party a charge and then talk about how the public can rally. But first, I have some questions to consider.

(1) What are the terms of the U.S. government’s contract with El Salvador for imprisonment of individuals rendered?

(2) Where in the U.S. government do the funds paid to El Salvador originate from? And who, exactly, is the payee?

(3) What are the terms of the services being contracted for? How many meals per day for the prisoners? What are the healthcare arrangements? How are these provisions itemized and invoiced? What governmental body is monitoring the contractor (and who is the contractor?) for compliance?

(4) What rules or laws govern the “corrections officers” who work at CECOT?

But most important:

(5) What are the terms of the sentences for those incarcerated at CECOT? When will they be paroled or released?

Do you believe that anyone from America who goes into CECOT will ever come out?

I do not.

This is not incarceration; it is liquidation.

Incarceration is a penal act. It is controlled by laws. There are well-understood mechanisms governing the length of terms, applications for parole, processes for release.

Liquidation is a political act. It is arbitrary, opaque, and unappealable. There are no controlling laws or processes. There is only power.

This is why Donald Trump cannot allow Kilmar Abrego Garcia to return to the United States.

And it is why the democratic opposition must go to the mattresses to bring him home."