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LULAC DENOUNCES CBS NEWS DECISION TO WITHHOLD "60 MINUTES" REPORT ON EL SALVADOR’S CECOT PRISON AND THE UNLAWFUL INCARCERATION OF NEIYERVER ADRIÁN LEÓN RENGEL Nation's Oldest and Largest Latino Civil Rights Organization Calls the Last-Minute Cancellation of the Story Airing Disgraceful and the Muzzling of Truth WASHINGTON — The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) filed an FTCA complaint on July 24, 2025, on behalf of Neiyerver Adrián León Rengel, a Venezuelan national it advocated for, who was sent to the CECOT in El Salvador despite holding Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in the United States. Mr. Rengel is one of many Venezuelan nationals detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and transferred to CECOT, a facility internationally known for extreme and abusive conditions. Mr. Rengel and other former detainees have provided firsthand accounts to CBS News describing physical, verbal, psychological, and sexual abuse while incarcerated. LULAC and Democracy Defenders Fund are preparing additional legal filings as more former prisoners come forward. "The decision by CBS News Editor-In-Chief Bari Weiss to block this 60 Minutes investigation is indefensible," says Roman Palomares, LULAC National President and Chairman of the Board. This decision was not a routine programming issue. It was the suppression of critical journalism about the treatment of Latino detainees sent to CECOT. The American people have a right to know what is being done in their name, and silencing this report undermines the very foundation of a free and independent press." The abrupt "postponement," ordered at the highest levels of CBS News, deprived millions of Americans of vital information affecting Latino families and communities nationwide. LULAC is formally lodging complaints with CBS News and its parent company, Paramount Global. To date, the explanation offered for this decision is unclear, internally inconsistent, and deeply troubling. "I have worked directly with Mr. Rengel and his family, and the facts are disturbing and well documented," said Juan Proaño, Chief Executive Officer of LULAC. "Preventing this report from airing harms families seeking truth and accountability and sends a dangerous message that Latino lives and due process are optional. LULAC will continue to pursue justice for Mr. Rengel and others and will not back down," he added. LULAC demands that CBS News air the completed report in full and provide a transparent account of who was involved with Ms. Weiss in preventing the report’s airing and the deeper reason why. Anything less further erodes public trust and compounds the harm already done
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