El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) has become one of the world’s most infamous prisons, symbolising President Nayib Bukele’s aggressive crackdown on gang violence.
Recently, US secretary of state Marco Rubio and President Bukele discussed a plan to deport migrants and even convicted US citizens to the El Salvador prison. “We can send them, and he will put them in his jails,” Rubio said. However, legal experts argue that deporting US citizens to another country violates international law and could face major legal challenges.
Despite the prison’s harsh conditions, El Salvador now has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world, with over 110,000 prisoners. Critics argue that Bukele’s crackdown has eroded basic rights, with thousands arrested without trial and some families unaware of their loved ones’ fate.
Opened in 2023, the massive facility can hold up to 40,000 inmates and is designed to house members of the country’s most dangerous gangs, including MS-13 and Barrio 18.
However, human rights organizations argue that thousands of innocent people have been swept up in the crackdown, detained without due process, and subjected to inhumane conditions.
According to the New York Post, CECOT inmates are crammed into cells holding 65 to 70 prisoners and allowed out for only 30 minutes per day for exercise. The prison’s surveillance system ensures constant monitoring, while food rations are limited to beans and pasta, with no access to meat.
The Due Process of Law Foundation has criticized the prison for providing inadequate food and medical care, raising concerns about malnutrition and mistreatment.
Bukele has defended the prison, arguing that it has helped transform El Salvador from one of the most violent nations into the “safest country in the Americas.”
However, human rights groups, including Cristosal and Human Rights Watch, claim that at least 261 prisoners have died due to torture, neglect, or violence inside El Salvador’s jails since the crackdown began.
While Bukele’s supporters praise his tough-on-crime approach, human rights organizations warn that CECOT is more of a “concrete and steel pit” than a rehabilitation centre, according to the Due Process of Law Foundation.