Photographer Recounts Nightmares After Documenting Deported Men in El Salvador Prison

Exclusive Prison Transfer in El Salvador

• 📸 Philip Holsinger, a photojournalist for TIME Magazine, was the only non-government photographer present during a late-night transfer of detainees in El Salvador.
• 🚨 The operation involved approximately 1,000 military and police officers in riot gear, highlighting the security measures for moving prisoners.
• 🌃 Transfers typically occur at night due to heavy traffic, allowing for safer movement of large groups, often around 2,000 individuals.

Observing Detainees and Their Demeanor

• 💡 Holsinger, who has spent over a year documenting El Salvador's security transformation, noted that the detainees' demeanor was unexpected.
• 😥 He observed one young man, claiming to be a barber and not a gang member, who was sobbing, which contrasted with the hardened demeanor of criminals he had previously encountered.
• 🔍 Holsinger's experience interviewing murderers in prison gave him a basis to read people and distinguish between a 'whimper' and a 'growl'.

Nightmares from Gang Protocols

• 💔 Despite El Salvador being the kindest country Holsinger has visited, he began having nightmares due to the horrors he documented.
• 🔪 He detailed the unique and brutal murder protocols of gangs like MS-13 and Barrio 18, emphasizing their extreme torture methods.
• 🩸 The nightmares stem from understanding the severity of crimes, including the role of a 'maestro of dismemberment' within the gangs.