CBS Abruptly Pulls ‘60 Minutes’ Segment on Trump Administration’s Deportations to El Salvador Prison

In an unusual late-hour decision, CBS News postponed a heavily promoted segment of “60 Minutes” that was set to air on Sunday, December 21, 2025, examining the Trump administration’s deportation of hundreds of Venezuelan migrants to a notorious maximum-security prison in El Salvador. The move, announced just hours before broadcast, has ignited debate within the network and among media observers about editorial independence, corporate influence, and the pressures facing legacy journalism in a polarized political environment.

The segment, titled “Inside CECOT,” was to feature correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi interviewing several Venezuelan men who were deported earlier in 2025 to the Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo, or CECOT, a facility in Tecoluca, El Salvador, known for its harsh conditions and capacity to hold up to 40,000 inmates. According to a CBS News press release issued Friday promoting the piece, the deportees described “brutal and tortuous conditions” during their detention, including shackling, public parading, and months of incommunicado holding. Many of the men had applied for asylum in the United States and claimed they had no ties to El Salvador, a country where they faced alleged abuse before being released and returned to Venezuela — often a place they had fled due to persecution.

The report had undergone rigorous internal review, including five screenings and clearance by CBS attorneys and the network’s Standards and Practices department. Yet on Saturday, Bari Weiss, CBS News’s editor-in-chief since October, intervened, requesting substantial revisions. Sources familiar with the discussions said Ms. Weiss sought additional material, including an on-the-record response from a senior Trump administration official, such as Stephen Miller, the deputy chief of staff for policy and a key architect of the administration’s immigration enforcement. She also reportedly questioned the use of the term “migrants” rather than “illegal immigrants” in describing the deportees.

When the team could not secure the requested administration comment — despite prior outreach to the Department of Homeland Security, White House, and State Department — Ms. Weiss decided to hold the segment. CBS News issued a brief statement Sunday afternoon: “The 60 Minutes report on ‘Inside CECOT’ will air in a future broadcast. We determined it needed additional reporting.”

Ms. Alfonsi, a veteran correspondent who has worked at “60 Minutes” since 2015, pushed back in an internal email circulated among colleagues, including Lesley Stahl, Scott Pelley, and Anderson Cooper. She described the decision as “political” rather than editorial, arguing that the piece was factually sound and fully vetted. “The public will correctly identify this as corporate censorship,” she wrote, noting that requiring administration comment as a condition for airing could undermine journalistic independence. Some staff members reportedly expressed frustration, with one source indicating that “people are threatening to quit” over the episode.

The controversy unfolds against a backdrop of recent turmoil at CBS News and its parent company, Paramount Skydance. In July, Paramount settled a lawsuit filed by President Trump over the editing of a 2024 “60 Minutes” interview with Kamala Harris for $16 million — a move that drew criticism from journalists who viewed it as a concession to political pressure. Mr. Trump has repeatedly criticized the network on social media, complaining that “60 Minutes” has treated him unfairly even under new ownership. David Ellison, who leads Paramount Skydance, has courted administration support amid efforts to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery.

Ms. Weiss, founder of the center-right publication The Free Press, was appointed editor-in-chief following Paramount’s acquisition of her outlet. Her role has sparked concern among some CBS journalists about potential shifts toward more balanced or conservative-leaning coverage.

CBS News has not provided further details on when the segment might air or what additional reporting is required. The episode instead featured other stories, including one on classical musicians in England.

The incident highlights ongoing tensions between news organizations and political power, particularly as “60 Minutes” — long a pillar of broadcast journalism — navigates its role in covering a second Trump administration. Whether the postponement reflects prudent caution or external influence remains a point of contention, but it has already fueled broader discussions about the fragility of editorial autonomy in today’s media landscape.