Rep. Norma Torres Proposes Ban on Special Treatment for Convicted Drug Traffickers — ProPublica
ProPublica — 2026-06-11 04:00:00 — www.propublica.org
Trump’s Pardon of Honduran Ex-President Sparks Outrage Over VIP Prison Perks
President Donald Trump’s decision to pardon former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted of taking bribes and enabling drug traffickers to export more than 400 tons of cocaine to the U.S., has ignited a political firestorm over the use of taxpayer dollars for special treatment of pardoned criminals.
After Trump granted Hernández a full pardon in December, federal prison officials reportedly removed an immigration detainer that should have kept Hernández in custody for pickup by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Instead, the Bureau of Prisons arranged for a four-man tactical team to drive Hernández six hours from a high-security West Virginia prison to the luxury Waldorf Astoria hotel in Manhattan, with overtime pay funded by taxpayers.
The special treatment, described by Rep. Norma Torres (D-Calif.) as “red carpet” accommodations, prompted her to introduce an amendment to bar the Bureau of Prisons and other agencies from using public funds to provide VIP perks, transportation, or preferential legal treatment to convicted drug traffickers and child traffickers, even if they have been pardoned.
Hernández, who has long denied wrongdoing, appealed to Trump’s sympathies last year with a letter claiming he was a victim of “political persecution” by the Biden administration. Trump’s pardon came just two days before a contentious Honduran presidential election, a move experts said signaled support for Hernández’s right-wing National Party and may have encouraged election manipulation.
The Bureau of Prisons has not commented on the specifics of Hernández’s release, but a retired prison worker described staff as “disgusted” by the agency’s actions. Torres’s amendment was voted down along party lines in the House Appropriations Committee, with Republicans opposing the measure.
The controversy highlights ongoing concerns about the fairness of the justice system and the use of presidential pardons. Torres vowed to continue fighting for reforms, stating, “The American people deserve a government that enforces the law fairly and holds powerful criminals accountable, regardless of who pardons them.”
This episode underscores the far-reaching consequences of Trump’s pardon decisions and raises questions about accountability and equal treatment under the law.
Source: https://www.propublica.org/article/trump-bureau-prisons-pardons-juan-orlando-hernandez-norma-torres