¡Cese la Represión! ¡Fin al Régimen de Excepción!

Friday, March 27, 2026 marks four years since the Government of El Salvador suspended basic constitutional rights under the guise of security and combatting gang violence. Beyond resulting in tens of thousands of arbitrary arrests and countless human rights abuses, the Bukele government has used the “State of Exception” as a tool of political repression and consolidation of power.

Bukele’s ramped-up “War on Gangs” - characterized by both illegality and inhumanity - also has many chilling parallels to Trump’s ramped-up war on migrants.

CISPES and solidarity and diaspora allies are teaming up for an Week of Action from between March 21 - March 30 to echo the demands of Salvadoran organizations like the Movement of Victims of the Regime (MOVIR) and others who are calling on the Bukele government to 1) end the unconstitutional State of Exception and 2) free those who have been unjustly detained.

Now is a critical time to shine an international spotlight on the crisis in El Salvador. In January, the first mass trials began of people detained starting in 2022. Tens of thousands of people are at risk of being wrongfully sentenced - potentially for life - without an opportunity for an individualized trial or just legal representation.

Recently, a group of international experts presented a powerful report concluding there are reasonable grounds for concern that the government of El Salvador is committing crimes against humanity. New reports from human rights organizations and academic researchers also document Salvadoran immigrants being arrested following deportation from the U.S. despite facing no criminal charges in El Salvador.

The Week of Action will also uplift the legacy of Archbishop Oscar Romero, martyred on March 24, 1980, for being a leading voice in defense of human rights.

Join CISPES chapters and allied organizations in different cities by attending a vigil or community event. Learn more about the State of Exception, honor the victims, and take action in solidarity with MOVIR and many other courageous groups being targeted by the Bukele government in El Salvador. (To bring information from our campaign to local events or organize your own, let us know at [email protected] and we can send you our toolkit)

LEARN MORE AND TAKE ACTION ONLINE:

Monday, March 23 at 7:00 pm ET (4:00 pm PT): Webinar - Immigrant Detention and Mass Incarceration from the U.S. to El Salvador. Connecting the State of Exception in El Salvador with Trump’s war on migrants in the U.S., featuring Samuel Ramirez from the Movement of Victims of the Regime, MOVIR and Amilcar Valencia, Executive Director of El Refugio in Georgia. Register here: cispes.org/refugiomovir

Tuesday, March 24: Romero Day of Action - National Call in Day. Make a call to your Rep and Senators in Congress and urge them to: 1) halt Trump’s appointment of a top DHS official to be the new ambassador to El Salvador, 2) investigate the Salvadorans who were disappeared into the CECOT last spring, and 3) end U.S. security assistance to El Salvador in light of well-documented human rights abuses! Click here to make a call or send an email here.

Wednesday, March 25: How does State of Exception affect Immigrants? Join us online to spread the word about the dangers that arbitrary arrest and prolonged detention without trial pose to Salvadorans at risk of being deported to El Salvador, including our new fact sheet and various reports. Find out more & join in on social media: Instagram, Facebook, and X

Thursday, March 26: Online Day of Action for Political Prisoners Join us online to show international solidarity with human rights defender Fidel Zavala and members of the La Floresta community who were jailed last February for defending their community lands. Check out our materials for posting a solidarity message on social media for Fidel and other Salvadoran political prisoners who are routinely denied almost any and all communication with their lawyers or loved ones. Find out more & join in on social media: Instagram, Facebook, and X

Friday, March 27: Justice for the Victims, Freedom for the Innocent, and Fair Trials for All! Help us launch a new online photo gallery to honor some of the over 400 people who have died in prison since the start of the State of Exception, echo the calls to free tens of thousands of people who have been wrongfully detained, and demand a fair trial and due process guarantees for each and every person! Find out more & join in on social media: Instagram, Facebook, and X

Monday, March 30 at 3:00 pm ET (12 noon PT): Webinar - The Struggle Against Mining in El Salvador. In March 2017, El Salvador’s legislature passed the world’s first and only ban on metals mining; Bukele and his party overturned it in December 2024. Learn from leading environmental defenders and community leaders in El Salvador about the struggle to resist mining today and the critical role for international solidarity (Check back for registration link)

For updates, sign up for our emails here and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and X (Bluesky is coming!)

CHECK OUT OUR CALENDAR OF IN-PERSON EVENTS:

Boston, MA. Sunday, March 22, 3:00 pm. Remembering Romero Roundtable. San Lucas/St. Luke’s Episcopal Church (201 Washington Ave in Chelsea) **EVENT IN SPANISH (EN ESPAÑOL)

Boston, MA: Tuesday, March 24 at 6:30 pm. Remembering Romero Roundtable. Community Church of Boston (565 Boylston St in Boston) **EVENT IN ENGLISH

Boston, MA: Wednesday, March 25 from 6:30-8:30 pm. Community art (stencil making!) and discussion on what Romero’s legacy means for organizing today with City Life/Vida Urbana (Maverick Landing, 31 Liverpool Street in East Boston)

Chicago, IL: Saturday, March 28 from 4:00-8:00 pm. Join Chicago Religious Leadership Network and Colectivo Alma de Izote for an event honoring Romero's legacy. Featuring music, art, analysis and testimonials. 18th Street Casa de la Cultura (2057 W 18th St).

Los Angeles, CA: Saturday, March 21, 6:00 pm. Vigil honoring Romero’s legacy and the victims of 4 years of the State of Exception. Placita Olivares. (Facebook event)

Madison, WI:  Saturday, March 21 3-6 pm. Join Salvadorans en Wisconsin, Madison-Arcatao Sister Cities Project, Colectivo Alma de Izote, Catholic Multicultural Center and Chicago Religious Leadership Network for a Community Celebration honoring Romer on the 46th anniversary of his Martyrdom. Catholic Multicultural Center (1862 Beld St.).

Mexico City, Mexico: Wednesday, March 24 at 4:00 pm. Join the Comité en Solidaridad con El Salvador en México and others for a Commemoration of the martyrdom of Romero. Sala B, Coordinación de investigaciones, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, UNAM. (Facebook event)

San Francisco, CA: Tuesday, March 24, 1:00 pm. Vigil outside of the consulate of El Salvador, 500 Golden Gate Ave (Facebook event)

Washington, DC: Friday, March 27. Vigil honoring the victims of 4 years of the State of Exception (Location TBD)

Nationwide: No Kings marches and demonstrations on March 28. Contact [email protected] for El Salvador solidarity posters & flyers!

OTHER WAYS TO TAKE ACTION:

• Resources for learning more about the state of exception (a work in progress)!
• Print & write your own a solidarity post card to El Salvador’s political prisoners and victims of the State of Exception. Materials & instructions here.
• Follow social movement groups on the frontlines of struggle in El Salvador at these social media handles: Bloque de Resistencia y Rebeldia Popular (IG: @bloquepopular, X: @Bloque_RP, Facebook); Movemiento de Víctimas del Regimen (MOVIR) (Facebook)