by El Faro.
The day after the Legislative Assembly, dominated by President Nayib Bukele’s party, ousted the judges of the Constitutional Court and the attorney general, and named replacements in line with their interests, El Salvador woke up on Sunday, May 2 to two opposing accounts of what had happened. The president’s office justified the removals, defining them as acts of “cleaning house.” Meanwhile, a broad group of Salvadoran social organizations and powerful voices of the international community described the events as a technical coup, or at the very least a violation of the rule of law. In the midst of public debate, mainly taking place on social media, four of the officials removed by Bukele’s so-called “cyan bloc” Attorney General Raúl Melara and magistrates Aldo Cáder Camilot, Carlos Sánchez, and Marina de Torrento publicly resigned in letters posted on social media.
Washington Senate Passes Ban on for-Profit Prisons, Would Close ICE Center
On 3/31/21 at 11:02 PM EDT
The Washington state Senate has passed a bill banning private, for-profit prisons and detention facilities. The legislation would close a Tacoma facility currently operating under a contract with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The bill would prohibit any person, business, or state or local governmental entity from operating a private detention facility within the state. It would also prohibit state or local governments from making contracts with any state-based private detention facilities. The bill would allow any facilities currently operating under a government contract to remain open until the contract ends.