20/06/2025
El Salvador is having a ‘moment’ in American media and politics. Today, the US is deporting immigrants and, in at least once case, a US citizen, to CECOT (Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo) without due process. CECOT is immense, able to hold 60,000 people. Conditions within the complex, where its prisoners are held without charge, in tightly packed multi-level cells, with insufficient food and water, are severe. The threat of incarceration is being used by the Salvadoran government as a weapon to quash public dissent. Whether from fear of arbitrary detention or fear of retaliation for political activism, the threat of imprisonment looms large for many Salvadorans today.
Sadly, the threats to civil liberties extend beyond incarceration. Not-for-profit organizations that work on behalf of vulnerable communities have been forced to reduce their outreach, cancelling or postponing regular visits and events with those communities out of fear of retribution. Further threats to these organizations and the communities that benefit from them include a new 30% tax on foreign ‘transactions’ (e.g. funding from international organizations like Oxfam and US-El Salvador Sister Cities) under the ‘Foreign Agents Law.’ This law creates paths that the Salvadoran government can take to dismantle groups perceived to be a threat to the administration. Shuttering US Aid, by the way, has not helped.
Why should we care?
For over 30 years, the Binghamton-El Charcón Sister City Project (part of a larger network of U.S.- El Salvador Sister Cities) has supported the self-determination of marginalized communities through grassroots organizing and education. Through delegations, zoom meetings and on-line communication we have personally witnessed the remarkable work of organizations and individuals determined to bring about meaningful, positive change for themselves and for their children. We are deeply troubled by current events, and our ‘sistering’ relationship puts a face to the stories we hear in the news, allowing us to reflect more deeply on systemic and human relationships and how we can be in solidarity.
This statement is written from the perspective of members of the Binghamton – El Charcón Sister City Project. We are dedicated to maintaining our sister city relationship and doing the slow work of supporting community development.
We welcome anyone interested in learning more about our sister city organization. While our organization began in Binghamton, today’s board is spread more widely. We meet via Zoom on the 3rd Wednesday of the month at 5:00 pm (Eastern Time). Our next meetings this summer are on 7/16 and 8/20.
You can find out more about our work by following our page, ‘Binghamton - El Charcón Sister City Project,’ visiting the US-El Salvador Sister Cities website (www.elsalvadorsolidarity.org) or by emailing us at [email protected].
Photo of CECOT from Brittanica.com. Photo of people walking through a neighborhood street during a Sister Cities delegation in 2023 by Kate Chesebrough.
