Inside El Salvador’s brutal mega-prison home to the world’s most deadly gangs

Donald Trump has been offered the use of El Salvador’s infamous mega-prison as he seeks to deport criminals from the US.

His secretary of state Marco Rubio described Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s offer to incarcerate them at his notorious Terrorism Confinement Centre – or CECOT – as ‘very generous’.

Bukele – who describes himself as the ‘coolest dictator’ – said he would even take American criminals, although that might prove legally difficult.

CECOT has drawn praise from hardline law-and-order politicians and despair from human rights organisations.

Here is everything we know about the harsh prison, which is home to thousands of the most terrifying gangsters and killers in the world.

What is the CECOT?

Bukele ordered construction of ‘Latin America’s biggest prison’ as he launched his purge against El Salvador’s gangs – including the dreaded MS-13 and Barrio 18 – in early 2022.

It opened a year later in the town of Tecoluca, around45 miles east of the capital San Salvador.

Able to hold 40,000 inmates – nearly half the entire UK prison population – the CECOT is made up of eight sprawling pavilions.

Its cells hold 65 to 70 prisoners each. None receive visits.

There are no programs preparing them to return to society after their sentences, no workshops or educational programs. They will never see daylight again.

The exceptions are occasional motivational talks from prisoners who have gained a level of trust from prison officials.

Prisoners sit in rows in the corridor outside their cells for the talks or are led through exercise regimens under the supervision of guards.

Bukele’s justice minister has said that those held would never return to their communities.

The prison’s dining halls, break rooms, gym and board games are for guards.

Why is the mega-prison so controversial?

CECOT has attracted global attention, both positive and negative.

Argentine Security Minister Patricia Bullrich praised the facility in a June 2024 post, saying: ‘This is the way. Tough on criminals.’

A US Republican Party delegation from the House of Representatives, led by then Congressman Matt Gaetz, visited the prison a month later.

Several YouTubers, including Luisito Comunica from Mexico, Lethal Crysis from Spain, and Araya Vlogs from Costa Rica, have generated millions of views for their prison visit videos, highlighting the prison’s harsh conditions.

Many human rights organisations have spoken out against the facility, and Bukele’s security policy more broadly.

A report from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), published in September 2024, warned that the number of inmates at the prison was much higher than the latest official figures released, and that overcrowding could reach 133%.

They concluded that each inmate had an average space of just 0.60sq meters, a violation of international standards.

What do human rights advocates say?

Cristosal reported last summer that at least 261 people had died in El Salvador’s prisons during the gang crackdown.

The group and others have cited cases of abuse, torture and lack of medical attention.

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