Recent promotional footage shot by U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas at a notorious terrorist detention center located about 76 km southeast of San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador, has sparked controversy.
The watch he wore in the video has become a topic of controversy. Mayorkas was wearing a Rolex watch valued at about $60,000 (88 million won). It is said that he wore luxury goods amid human rights controversies.
Local media such as the New York Post reported that Secretary Mayorkas filmed a promotional video with the message "This is what happens when you come to America illegally" during a visit to the massive terrorist prison 'Secut' in Tecoluca, El Salvador, on the 26th (local time), his first stop on a tour.
Behind Secretary Mayorkas stand inmates. Many of the inmates are Venezuelans deported from the U.S., classified as individuals with gang-related charges. However, the Trump administration reportedly did not provide evidence that these individuals were actually affiliated with gangs, the New York Post stated.
The New York Post noted that there were many inmates who appeared completely different from the 'terrorists' and 'evil monsters' that he described.
After the video was released, criticism arose on social media and elsewhere, arguing that Secretary Mayorkas's use of El Salvador's largest prison for propaganda was unethical and an endorsement of a dictatorial justice system.
On X (formerly Twitter), posts such as "Is it really promotion to have inmates stripped of their clothes and lined up expressionlessly for a video?" and "Did you perform a threat in front of a prison in a poor country?" were shared.
There were also reactions regarding the expensive watch he wore, stating, "He revealed luxury goods on the stage of human rights controversy," and "What is he doing with our tax money?"