Inside the El Salvador mega-prison where Trump is sending hundreds of immigrants

[Judi Lynn]

Inmates are kept in cells with scores of others and denied access to visitors and recreation

Marcos Alemn, Regina Garcia Cano
Sunday 16 March 2025 14:57 EDT

El Salvador's mega-prison, the centerpiece of its controversial anti-crime strategy, has become the latest holding ground for US deportees.

Hundreds of immigrants, alleged by US authorities to be members of Venezuela's notorious Tren de Aragua gang, were transferred to the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) on Sunday.

This move comes as part of a $6 million agreement between the Trump administration and El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, providing the US with a year's worth of detention services.

The CECOT, opened in 2023, stands as a stark symbol of Bukele's iron-fisted approach to crime. Within its walls, inmates are denied access to visitation, recreation, and education.

The transfer of the immigrants to the facility occurred despite a federal judge's order temporarily halting deportations under an 18th-century wartime declaration targeting Venezuelan gang members.

More:
https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/trump-deportation-el-salvador-cecot-prison-b2716191.html

[RainCaster]

1. Can we send TSF there?

And lose the paperwork? Perhaps Musk as well.

[Judi Lynn]

2. More information from same article:

Last edited Mon Mar 17, 2025, 04:11 AM - Edit history (1)

. . .

CECOT prisoners do not receive visits and are never allowed outdoors. The prison does not offer workshops or educational programs to prepare them to return to society after their sentences.

. . .

Cristosal and other advocates have accused authorities of human rights violations. Cristosal reported in 2024 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.

. . .

Tren de Aragua originated in an infamously lawless prison in Venezuela and accompanied an exodus of millions of Venezuelans, the overwhelming majority of whom were seeking better living conditions after their nation’s economy came undone last decade.

The Trump administration has not identified the migrants deported, provided any evidence they are in fact members of Tren de Aragua or that they committed any crimes in the US.

[progree]

3. "There's no sheets no mattresses. sleep on cold steel frames and they eat the same meal every single day

Last edited Sun Mar 23, 2025, 12:47 PM - Edit history (2)

Guardian, 3/16/25
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/us-deports-250-alleged-gang-members-to-el-salvador-despite-court-ruling-to-halt-flights/ar-AA1B20Qq

“There’s no sheets [and] no mattresses. [Prisoners] sleep on cold steel frames and they eat the same meal every single day. Utensils are banned so they use their hands [to eat]. There’s just two open toilets in each of these massive cells and the lights stay on 24/7,” . . ..

No pillows either according to another article.

Newsweek 3/17/25
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/what-will-happen-to-deportees-at-el-salvador-prison/ar-AA1B5HGD

Neither the US nor El Salvador offered any immediate evidence that the scores of Venezuelan prisoners sent to Cecot this weekend were in fact gang members or had been convicted of any offense.

. . . large, windowless cells equipped with only basic amenities—tiered metal bunks, an open toilet, and a cement basin. Each cell can fit 65 to 70 prisoners.

Personal items, books, or even letters from family are banned. Prisoners spend 23.5 hours a day locked in their cells, with a brief, 30-minute window for exercise or religious activities in a central hallway. Meals are basic, consisting mainly of beans, rice, and plantains, with no meat served.