CBS Pulls Planned ’60 Minutes’ Segment on Venezuelan Migrants Sent to El Salvador Prison [WATCH]

CBS removed a scheduled “60 Minutes” segment focused on Venezuelan migrants deported to El Salvador’s maximum-security prison just hours before its planned Sunday night broadcast, abruptly changing the program’s lineup and drawing internal criticism from staff.

The segment, titled “Inside CECOT,” was originally scheduled to air Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

Three hours before airtime, the program announced the change publicly.

BREAKING: CBS just pulled its own 60 Minutes report exposing torture at El Salvador’s CECOT prison, a facility where Venezuelans were secretly sent instead of deported.

Bari Weiss now runs CBS.

Watch what they didn’t want you to see. pic.twitter.com/OfIuyjxoiR

— Brian Allen (@allenanalysis) December 21, 2025

“The broadcast lineup for tonight’s edition of 60 Minutes has been updated,” the show posted in an Editor’s Note on social media.

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“Our report ‘Inside CECOT’ will air in a future broadcast,” the post said.

Along with the last-minute schedule change, CBS also removed a link to the “Inside CECOT” segment page from its website on Sunday. The page had previously included a trailer previewing the report.

According to an earlier description published on the Paramount Plus website, the segment was set to feature correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi interviewing recently released deportees who were sent to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center, known as CECOT.

The description stated that the individuals described experiencing “brutal and torturous” conditions inside the prison.

CECOT is El Salvador’s notorious maximum-security facility that has drawn international attention for its harsh detention conditions and mass incarceration policies.

The migrants featured in the report were among those deported earlier this year as part of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement actions.

The decision to pull the segment comes during a period of significant leadership changes at CBS News.

Bari Weiss was named Editor-in-Chief of CBS News in October following the acquisition of her online publication, The Free Press, by CBS parent company Paramount Skydance.

In response to inquiries about the delayed broadcast, a CBS News spokesperson told Reuters in an email that the segment “needed additional reporting.”

However, the explanation did not satisfy everyone inside the newsroom.

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, Alfonsi sent a Sunday email to fellow correspondents criticizing the decision. In that email, Alfonsi alleged that Weiss had “spiked our story,” the outlet reported.

Alfonsi further wrote that the decision to postpone the segment was political rather than a journalistic judgement, according to the email reviewed by the Journal.

Weiss disputed that characterization in a statement provided to The New York Times.

“My job is to make sure that all stories we publish are the best they can be,” Weiss said.

“Holding stories that aren’t ready for whatever reason—that they lack sufficient context, say, or that they are missing critical voices—happens every day in every newsroom. I look forward to airing this important piece when it’s ready.”

CBS News did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The New York Post regarding the internal dispute or the timing of the segment’s removal.

The pulled report centers on a controversial immigration action carried out earlier this year.

The Trump administration deported hundreds of migrants to El Salvador, sending some to CECOT without trial. Administration officials at the time said the deportations included individuals identified as gang members, a claim that has been disputed by immigration advocates and media outlets covering the issue.

The deportations and subsequent detentions have been the subject of ongoing debate and scrutiny, particularly regarding due process and conditions inside El Salvador’s prison system.

The decision by CBS to delay the segment has added another layer of attention to how the story is being handled within major news organizations.

CBS delays a ’60 Minutes’ segment on migrant inmates from El Salvador’s CECOT prison, sparking backlash. pic.twitter.com/91ZSdvKBlJ

— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) December 22, 2025

CBS has not announced a new air date for the “Inside CECOT” segment, stating only that it will be broadcast at a later time once additional reporting is completed.