By: Kat Littfin

News Editor

El Salvador’s new Terrorism Confinement Center, CECOT, opened in 2023 under President Nayib Bukele’s campaign to fight the heightening gang-related crimes in his country. Recently, the prison has garnered international attention due to news reports of abuse and fatalities and President Trump’s proposed deal to send detained migrants and imprisoned citizens to the facility.

CECOT sits 45 miles east of the nation’s capital, Tecola. In 2024, the establishment held around 110 thousand inmates, almost 100 times the amount of prisoners usually held in a United States federal prison. The prison has a large capacity and uniquely has cells designed to fit 60 to 75 individuals. The high cell capacity is one of the prison’s many tactics to deter gang behavior, as prison workers often place members of rival gangs into cells together, forcing the separate gangs to coexist. Furthermore, the prison does not allow their prisoners to have visitors or even go outside. The prison’s goal is not rehabilitation but rather isolation, as within the prison, there are no programs to help the inmates assimilate into society after their imprisonment, such as educational or work programs. President Bukele has even mentioned that he doesn’t plan to release any of the inmates held in CECOT back to their communities. 

Although the conditions of the facility are extreme, El Salvador has struggled with some of the highest crime rates in the world. During the early 2010s, many considered El Salvador the murder capital of the world. President Bukele’s campaign to attack the rampant crime in the country was largely popular and many approved his plans to construct the facility. Because of Bukele’s and CECOT’s radical and controversial measures, El Salvador’s homicide rate reached a record low in 2024, depicting the success of the president’s campaign promise.

Despite the positive outcome of Bukele’s war on crime, conditions in the prison have stirred some controversy among advocacy groups. In the summer of 2024, the prison reported that 261 people had died. Though the ratio of prisoner versus staff deaths is unclear, the number is concerning, especially amidst accusations of human rights violations. According to the Associated Press, human rights advocacy group Critosal reported cases of abuse, torture, and lack of medical attention as causes of death. Though the prison may be preventing death and abuse outside of its bounds, its promotion of torture and climbing casualty rates are somewhat alarming to many.

CECOT has recently made national headlines as President Trump has proposed sending migrants and incarcerated citizens to the facility. This decision is contentious, especially because it is illegal to deport American citizens under the Constitution. Though both the American and El Salvadorian presidents have agreed to the deal, it may not pass due to the unconstitutional nature of the agreement. 

(Sources: AP, The Guardian)