Listen up, folks—the truth’s about to drop, and I don’t sugarcoat.
When Donald Trump starts cozying up to an international “strongman,” buckle your seat belts, because human rights are usually the first passengers thrown off the ride. This time, the bromance brewing between Trump and El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele smells less like political alliance and more like a mutual admiration society for authoritarian dreams.
The question burning through every human rights boardroom and migrant advocacy WhatsApp group is simple: If Trump bulldozes his way back into power, and Bukele flashes that Instagrammable grin of approval, what happens to the already battered rights of migrants?
Spoiler alert—you’re not gonna like the answer.
Redi Tlhabi sat down with a few brave experts who dared to peel back the curtain, and the picture they painted isn’t pretty. It’s immigration policies on steroids. Think family separations without the apology tour. Think military-style deportations rebranded as “swift justice.” Think migrant camps that make the word “temporary” sound like a bad joke. Trump isn’t exactly famous for reading the Geneva Conventions before breakfast, and Bukele’s record on civil liberties is about as spotless as a New York City subway station at midnight.
Bukele, champion of the “state of exception,” has been locking up thousands without due process faster than you can say “judicial oversight.” Trump, meanwhile, drools over that kind of unchecked power like a kid in a candy store. Put them together, and you get more than just “enhanced enforcement”—you get a full-blown demolition of legal protections that have fought, clawed, and bled their way into existence.
And don’t kid yourself, this isn’t just a Central America problem. It’s a global warning shot. When two men flirting with authoritarianism join forces, civil liberties from El Paso to El Salvador might as well be printed on tissue paper. Migrants fleeing violence, poverty, and corruption will find a welcome mat made of razor wire, not open arms.
But here’s the real kicker: Trump’s not just looking south for inspiration, he’s looking for cooperation. If Bukele starts running his country like Trump wants, there’s a good chance Salvadorans trying to seek asylum in the U.S. will be handed back like faulty Amazon packages—no refund, no questions asked.
The game’s on, and I play to win, but if these two get their way, the house is gonna be the only one cashing out.
Now, maybe you think I’m exaggerating. Maybe you’re still sipping the Kool-Aid of “it won’t be so bad.” Great. Play it safe if you want. Meanwhile, the rest of us will be here, watching the rights of the world’s most vulnerable people get traded like baseball cards between two political heavyweights who think “due process” is a punchline.
The fight for migrant rights just entered a steel cage match. And if you think it’s going to stay polite… guess again.
Stay loud, stay sharp, and if you can’t handle the heat, step out of the arena.
— Mr. 47
