Terrorism Confinement Center

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Terrorism Confinement Center
Aerial view of CECOT.png
Aerial view of the prison
Terrorism Confinement Center
Location Tecoluca, El Salvador
Coordinates 13°32′1″N88°48′18″W / 13.53361°N 88.80500°W / 13.53361; -88.80500
StatusOperational
Security class Maximum security prison
Capacity40,000
Population14,532(as of 11 June 2024)
Opened31 January 2023;2 years ago (2023-01-31)
Managed by Ministry of Justice and Public Security
DirectorBelarmino García

The Terrorism Confinement Center, [a] abbreviated CECOT, is a maximum security prison in Tecoluca, El Salvador. The prison was built in late 2022 amid a large-scale gang crackdown in the country. The Salvadoran government opened the prison in January 2023, and it began housing inmates the following month.

Contents

As of 11 June 2024, CECOT had a population of 14,532 inmates. With a capacity for 40,000 inmates, CECOT is the largest prison in Latin America and one of the largest in the world by prisoner capacity. In March 2025, the Salvadoran government incarcerated over 200 deportees that the second Donald Trump administration alleged were Venezuelan gang members. The Salvadoran government has allowed selected news outlets access to tour the prison and it has been featured in several videos published on social media by president Nayib Bukele. CECOT is controversial, receiving praise for its detention of alleged gang members and criticism for alleged human rights abuses.

Background

Gang violence in El Salvador

Beginning in the 1990s, street gangs began to gain power and influence in El Salvador when their members began to be deported from the United States following the conclusion of the Salvadoran Civil War. [1] : 6  [2] : 64  The two largest street gangs were Mara Salvatrucha (commonly known as MS-13) and the 18th Street gang (Barrio 18); [b] other smaller gangs included La Maquina, Mao Mao, and Mirada Loca. [3] In El Salvador, these gangs recruited young Salvadorans who felt neglected by the Salvadoran government in the aftermath of the civil war. [2] : 64  By 2020, there were an estimated 60,000 gang members and 400,000 collaborators in El Salvador. [1] : 6 

Gangs enforced their influence and made money through murder, extortion, drug trafficking, and operating businesses. [1] : 6  [3] Gangs also influenced national politics by preventing political candidates from campaigning in certain neighborhoods under their control, [3] and gang leaders have stated that they could determine the outcomes of elections. [4] Due to gang violence, El Salvador had one of the highest homicide rates in the world, [5] : 2  peaking at a rate of 103 homicides per 100,000 people in 2015 (the highest rate in the world). [1] : 2 

Anti-crime policies

During the 1990s and 2000s, the various Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) governments sought to implement "tough on crime" policies in El Salvador to combat the spread of gangs. In 2003 and 2004, the government implemented the Mano Dura ("iron fist") and Super Mano Dura ("super iron fist") policies that led to the arrests of 30,000 alleged gang members. [2] : 65  In 2012, the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) government, the Catholic Church in El Salvador, and the country's gangs agreed to a truce that initially lowered the country's homicide rate, but by 2014, the truce had faltered and homicides rose again. [6] : 61–62  In 2015, the Supreme Court of Justice of El Salvador designated both MS-13 and Barrio 18 as terrorist organizations. [1] : 7  [2] : 65 

From 2019 to 2020, El Salvador's homicide rate decreased by up to 62 percent. [1] : 19  Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele credited the decrease to his Territorial Control Plan, but a 2020 analysis by the International Crisis Group (ICG) found "no causal relationship" between the decrease in homicides and the Territorial Control Plan. [1] : 20  Instead, the ICG attributed the decrease to "quiet, informal understandings between gangs and the government"; the Salvadoran government denied the claim. [7] In December 2021, the United States Department of the Treasury accused Bukele's government of negotiating with the gangs to reduce homicides; Bukele denied the accusation. [8]

Salvadoran gang crackdown

From 25 to 27 March 2022, gangs in El Salvador killed 87 people, 62 of whom were killed on 26 March alone, the deadliest day in Salvadoran history since the end of the civil war in 1992. [2] : 59  [9] Florida International University research director José Miguel Cruz attributed the murder spike to the breakdown of the alleged truce between gangs and the government. [10]

In response to the violence, the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador declared a state of exception that suspended several constitutional rights and made it easier for the country's security forces to conduct mass arrests of suspected gang members. [11] [12] In the following seven months, around 55,000 suspected gang members were arrested. [2] : 60  Due to the large number of arrests, Bukele announced the construction of a new prison with a capacity for 40,000 inmates—named the Terrorism Confinement Center (abbreviated CECOT)—to house those arrested during the gang crackdown. [13] CECOT was built by three companies (OMNI, DISA, and Contratista General de América Latina, S.A. de C.V.) [14] and construction cost US$100 million. [15] By the time CECOT opened in January 2023, the Salvadoran government had arrested over 62,000 suspected gang members. [16]

Prison facility

Map of the Terrorism Confinement Center's layout Map of the Terrorism Confinement Center.png
Map of the Terrorism Confinement Center's layout
Soldiers and police officers that staff the prison Elementos de seguridad en CECOT.jpg
Soldiers and police officers that staff the prison

The Terrorism Confinement Center facility covers 23 hectares (57 acres) and the Salvadoran government oversees the surrounding 140 hectares (350 acres) around the prison. It is located in the district of Tecoluca in a remote area of the San Vicente Department at the base of the San Vicente volcano. CECOT has the capacity for 40,000 inmates in eight cell blocks; cell space covers 6 acres (2.4 ha) for an average of 0.6 square metres (6.5 sq ft) of space per prisoner. The prison is surrounded by 19 guard towers, [17] two sets of 9-meter-tall (30 ft) and 60-centimeter-thick (24 in) walls covered in barbed wire, two sets of electrified fences, and gravel flooring designed to make footsteps audible. [18] [19]

Each of the 256 cells can house an average of 156 inmates. [19] The cells are equipped with four-level metal bunks with no mattresses or sheets, [20] two toilets, and two washbasins. [18] [19] [21] The cells are lit by artificial lights 24 hours per day. Each cell is provided with two Bibles, and CCTV cameras and armed guards monitor each cell. [18] Solitary confinement cells can hold prisoners for up to 15 days and are only furnished with a concrete bed, a toilet, and a washbasin. The solitary cells are pitch black except for one small hole in the ceiling that allows some light inside. [22]

CECOT is staffed by 600 soldiers and 250 police officers, [16] and Belarmino García is the prison's director. [23] Prison staff are provided recreational areas such as a dining hall, break room, and gym. [17] [24] Everyone entering the prison undergoes a physical search and an X-ray scan. [18] Medical staff are present on site and administer all aid to prisoners within the prison's confines. [22]

Inmates

Salvadoran justice minister Gustavo Villatoro and U.S. homeland security secretary Kristi Noem observing inmates inside a cell in CECOT DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Travels to El Salvador (54412500647).jpg
Salvadoran justice minister Gustavo Villatoro and U.S. homeland security secretary Kristi Noem observing inmates inside a cell in CECOT

The Salvadoran government rarely announces how many prisoners are incarcerated at CECOT, with only a few such public announcements since the prison opened. [19] CECOT had a reported population of 14,532 inmates in June 2024. [25] In November 2024, García estimated that between 10,000 and 20,000 inmates were housed at CECOT. [22] In March 2025, a government spokesperson declined to provide an updated figure, citing security concerns, but said that the 2024 statistic of 14,500 inmates was outdated. [26] In April 2025, García stated the population was closer to its 40,000 maximum population, but declined to give a specific number. [27]

The criteria for becoming incarcerated in CECOT is unclear; [19] all that is certain is that it houses "high-ranking" gang members. [20] Members of rival gangs are not separated. García has described those imprisoned at CECOT as "the worst of the worst". [22] Many inmates have been sentenced to centuries long sentences, while other inmates have yet to be convicted. [28] Those detained are reported to have been tried en masse with no opportunity to present counter evidence or see the evidence against them. [29] [30] [31]

Prisoners are only allowed outside their cells for 30 minutes of exercise, Bible study, [22] online court hearings within the prison, or for placement into solitary confinement. Prisoners are not allowed education, [32] recreation, visitation, or phone calls. [19] Prisoners are provided meals of rice, beans, eggs, and pasta, but utensils are not provided as they could potentially become weapons. [20] The Salvadoran government does not plan to release any prisoner from CECOT, [19] and Minister of Justice and Public Security Gustavo Villatoro has stated that prisoners incarcerated at CECOT will never return to their communities. [32] Villatoro also ruled out rehabilitation programs for CECOT's inmates. [22]

Detention of foreign prisoners

On 3 February 2025, Bukele met with United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio and offered to accept "dangerous American [convicted] criminals" and incarcerate them at CECOT "in exchange for a fee". [33] Rubio described Bukele's offer as the "most unprecedented and extraordinary migratory agreement anywhere in the world". [34]

On 15 March 2025, the United States announced that it would deport 300 alleged gang members of Tren de Aragua to El Salvador to be imprisoned in CECOT without trial, [35] using the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. According to El Salvador's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Donald Trump administration will pay the Salvadoran government US$6 million to hold the 300 prisoners for one year "pending the United States' decision on their long term disposition". [36] James Boasberg, the chief judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, blocked the deportations from proceeding, but 238 alleged Tren de Aragua members and 23 alleged MS-13 members were deported regardless. [21] One of the three deportation flights departed the United States after Boasberg blocked the deportations, causing controversy over whether the Trump administration ignored a court order. [37] According to Time , prisoners were physically bludgeoned and had their heads forcibly shaved during their processing. [38] A 60 Minutes investigation failed to find any criminal charges against 179 of those deported, while about a dozen had been charged with crimes such as murder, rape, assault, or kidnapping. [39]

External videos
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Arrival of 261 alleged MS-13 and Tren de Aragua members
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Arrival of 17 alleged MS-13 and Tren de Aragua members

Bukele published a three-minute video to X (Twitter) showing the prisoners' arrival. [40] The Venezuelan government condemned the deportation, and Jorge Rodríguez, the president of the National Assembly of Venezuela, stated that the government would "not rest [...] until they rescue the kidnapped [Venezuelans] in El Salvador" ("no vamos a descansar [...] hasta que rescatemos a los secuestrados en El Salvador"). [41] An anonymous source within the United States Department of State said that it feared the deported Venezuelans could die in CECOT. [42] On 21 March 2025, Trump suggested that individuals who vandalize Tesla property should be imprisoned in El Salvador. [43] On 25 March, a lawsuit was filed with the Supreme Court of Justice of El Salvador regarding the legality of incarcerating the deported Venezuelans. [44]

United States secretary of homeland security Kristi Noem visited CECOT on 26 March 2025 and threatened illegal immigrants in the United States with deportation to El Salvador and incarceration in CECOT if they did not leave the country. [45] The U.S. deported 17 more alleged MS-13 and Tren de Aragua members to El Salvador on 31 March. [46] [47] The U.S. government stated that the deportations occurred using regular immigration laws and not the Alien Enemies Act. [48] On 7 April, the Supreme Court of the United States lifted Boasberg's order, allowing the Trump administration to use the Alien Enemies Act to deport people from the country but only after they had been given a court hearing on the matter. [49]

Media coverage

Salvadoran government

From left to right, Minister of Defense Rene Merino Monroy, Director of Penal Centers Osiris Luna Meza, President Nayib Bukele, Minister of Public Works Romeo Rodriguez, and Director of the National Civil Police Mauricio Arriaza Chicas touring CECOT in January 2023. CECOT tour.jpg
From left to right, Minister of Defense René Merino Monroy, Director of Penal Centers Osiris Luna Meza, President Nayib Bukele, Minister of Public Works Romeo Rodríguez, and Director of the National Civil Police Mauricio Arriaza Chicas touring CECOT in January 2023.
External videos
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg Nayib Bukele and his government officials touring CECOT in January 2023.
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg February 2023 prisoner transfer
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg March 2023 prisoner transfer
Nuvola apps kaboodle.svg June 2024 prisoner transfer

On 1 February 2023, Bukele posted a video to Twitter of him, General Director of Penal Centers Osiris Luna Meza, Director of the National Civil Police Mauricio Arriaza Chicas, Minister of National Defense René Merino Monroy, and Minister of Public Works Romeo Rodríguez touring CECOT before its opening. [50] [51] Later that month, he posted another video showing 2,000 prisoners, all with shaved heads and wearing only white gym shorts, being transferred into the prison. [52] Bukele published similar videos for prisoner transfers in March 2023, [53] June 2024, [54] and March 2025. [40]

Bukele himself has labeled CECOT as "the most criticized prison in the world" ("la cárcel más criticada del mundo"). [55] Villatoro has remarked that CECOT represents "the biggest monument to justice we have ever built". [19]

International press

Several foreign news outlets chronicled CECOT's first prison transfer including the BBC, [56] The New York Times , [57] and The Washington Post . [58] Several online commentators also reported on the transfer. [59]

The Associated Press' Marcos Alemán described CECOT as the "crown jewel" of the Salvadoran gang crackdown. [24] DW Español's María Santacecilia described CECOT as the "emblem of Bukele's iron fist" ("emblema de la mano dura de Bukele"). [60] El País ' Juan Diego Quesada referred to CECOT as "the Alcatraz of Central America". [18] CECOT has also been referred to as a "mega-prison". [17] [32] [54] [58] Reuters described CECOT as "controversial" and as being "known for its harsh conditions." [35] CNN's Michael Rios noted that inmates were "visibly disturbed" as an officer shouted at them to "submit from this moment on". [61] The Associated Press wrote that Bukele made "stark, harsh prisons a trademark of his fight against crime". [32] Journalists Christopher Mathias and Adam Serwer, writing for MSNBC and The Atlantic respectively, referred to CECOT as a "gulag". [62] [63] Colombian president Gustavo Petro has similarly labeled CECOT as a "concentration camp" ("campo de concentración"). [64]

The Salvadoran government has offered news outlets access to tour CECOT. In September 2023, Colombian news outlet Noticias Caracol became the first news outlet allowed to enter CECOT. [65] Since then, other news outlets have been granted access to CECOT such as the BBC [20] and CNN. [22] YouTubers have also been granted access to CECOT. [60] [66] [67] García has stated that non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are not allowed inside CECOT. [20] In July 2024, United States House representative Matt Gaetz visited CECOT and referred to it as "the solution" for El Salvador. [68]

Allegations of human rights abuses

Critics of CECOT have referred to it as a "black hole of human rights". [20] The BBC has indicated that CECOT does not adhere to the Red Cross' international standard that recommends that each prisoner receives at least 3.4 square meters (37 sq ft) of space in a cell; CECOT on average gives prisoners 0.6 square meters (6.5 sq ft) of space. [19] Martin Horn, a former administrator of the Rikers Island prison in the United States, stated that 40,000 prisoners is "too many to manage in one place [...] under any circumstances", referring to the prison's listed capacity. [17] There are not enough bunks for every prisoner assigned to each cell; [24] when the BBC asked García what the maximum capacity of each cell was, he replied that "where you can fit 10 people, you can fit 20". [20] Emerson College political scientist Mneesha Gellman said that people held in CECOT face "severe overcrowding" and "inadequate food". [69]

The BBC has also indicated that prisoners are deprived of rights such as outside recreation and family visitation outlined by international guidelines. [19] Juan Carlos Sánchez, a program officer of the Due Process of Law Foundation, raised concerns about the quality of food served at CECOT. He also questioned the status of due process as the prison incarcerated both convicted criminals and individuals on trial for their alleged crimes. He warns that prisoners could become "sick physically, mentally" and "come out with rage". [22] Antonio Durán, a senior judge in Zacatecoluca, said that the conditions in CECOT amount to "torture". [19] Zaira Navas, a legal advisor at the Cristosal NGO, states that it is difficult to monitor conditions inside CECOT and that conditions "might become inhumane and degrading because no-one has access to that prison". [19] Doug Specht, a human rights scholar at the University of Westminster, wrote in The SAIS Review of International Affairs that conditions in CECOT "fall significantly short of accepted norms for the humane treatment of prisoners". [70]

Amnesty International raised concerns that CECOT "could threaten human rights" ("podría amenazar DD.HH") and that the prison represented "politics of mass incarceration" ("política de encarcelamiento masivo"). [71] Miguel Sarre, a former member of the United Nations Subcommittee for the Prevention of Torture, described CECOT as a "concrete and steel pit" used to "dispose of people without formally applying the death penalty", citing that the government does not intend to release the prison's inmates. [20] Kavan Applegate, the chairman of the International Corrections and Prisons Association's design committee, remarked that CECOT is "warehousing" people. Gustavo Fondevila, a professor of law at the Center for Economic Research and Teaching, described CECOT as a "political campaign project, the typical campaign project of pure, hard penal populism". [17]

In response to criticism of alleged human rights abuses, García told CNN that "much has been said about CECOT and human rights violations, but you are seeing everything we do—medical assistance, ensuring they follow due process [...] the whole operation is based on strict respect for human rights". [22] On 12 September 2023, the Supreme Court of Justice and the Legislative Assembly approved a provision that allowed courts in Usulután and Cojutepeque—known as surveillance courts—to monitor the rights of individuals imprisoned in CECOT. [72]

Influence on other prisons

On 1 June 2023, Bukele announced that he would build a prison similar to CECOT for white-collar criminals as a part of a "war against corruption". [73] Bukele stated that the prison would be known as the Corruption Confinement Center (CECOC) (Spanish : Centro de Confinamiento de la Corrupción) and that it would also be located in the San Vicente Department. [74] [75]

Politicians across Latin America in countries such as Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador, and Peru have implemented or have called for security policies similar to those Bukele has implemented. [76] [77] Before the 2023 Guatemalan presidential election, National Unity of Hope candidate Sandra Torres stated that she would build two mega-prisons to "end the scourge of homicides, murders and extortions in our country", while Valor candidate Zury Ríos promised to set up at least three new prisons, stating that she "admire[s] the public security policies [Bukele] has done". [78] In January 2024, Ecuadorian president Daniel Noboa announced that he would build two prisons with a capacity for 12,000 inmates each and that they would be modeled on CECOT. [79] In June 2024, Honduran president Xiomara Castro announced that she would build a prison capable of holding 20,000 inmates modeled on CECOT. [80] In April 2025, Costa Rican minister of justice and peace Gerald Campos Valverde toured CECOT and told journalists that Costa Rica would "take all the good practices and see how we can bring them to a good conclusion in our legal system". [81]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Spanish: Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo; also translated as the Center for the Confinement of Terrorism
  2. ↑ The 18th Street gang is composed of two rival factions: Barrio 18 Revolucionarios and Barrio 18 Sureños. [3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Miracle or Mirage?: Gangs and Plunging Violence in El Salvador (Report). Vol. 81. Brussels, Belgium: International Crisis Group. 8 July 2020. JSTOR   resrep31423 . OCLC   1290315193.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Abrego, Leisy J. & Osuna, Steven (22 January 2023). "The State of Exception: Gangs as a Neoliberal Scapegoat in El Salvador". Brown Journal of World Affairs . 29 (1): 59–73. Archived from the original on 23 April 2023. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Ellis, R. Evan (16 December 2015). "The Gang Challenge in El Salvador: Worse Than You Thought". War on the Rocks. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  4. ↑ Gagne, David (2 March 2015). "El Salvador Gangs Outline Political Motives of Violence". InSight Crime . Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  5. ↑ Van der Borgh, Chris (2019). "Government Responses to Gang Power: From Truce to War on Gangs in El Salvador". European Review of Latin American and Caribbean Studies (107). Centrum voor Studie en Documentatie van Latijns Amerika: 1–25. ISSN   0924-0608. JSTOR   26764790 . OCLC   10057446047.
  6. ↑ Farah, Douglas; Babineau, Kathryn (2017). "The Evolution of MS 13 in El Salvador and Honduras". PRISM. 7 (1): 58–73. JSTOR   26470498 . ProQuest   1944518637.
  7. ↑ Renteria, Nelson & Solomon, Diana Beth (8 July 2020). Berkrot, Bill (ed.). "El Salvador Murder Rate Plummets; Study Says Gangs May Have Informal Pact with Government". Reuters . San Salvador, El Salvador. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  8. ↑ McFarland, Stephen G. (15 December 2021). "From Bad to Worse: Nayib Bukele's Split with Washington". Americas Quarterly . Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  9. ↑ Abi-Habib, Maria & Avelar, Bryan (27 March 2022). "Explosion of Gang Violence Grips El Salvador, Setting Record". The New York Times . Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  10. ↑ Murray, Christine (5 April 2022). "El Salvador's Gang Crackdown Prompts Fears of Growing Authoritarianism" . Financial Times . Mexico City, Mexico. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  11. ↑ "Qué es un Régimen de Excepción – El Salvador" [What is a State of Exception – El Salvador]. Alianza Americas (in Spanish). 27 April 2022. Archived from the original on 7 September 2023. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  12. ↑ "El Salvador: Broad 'State of Emergency' Risks Abuse". Human Rights Watch . Washington, D.C., United States. 29 March 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  13. ↑ Agren, David (23 August 2022). "El Salvador Builds 40,000-Inmate Mega-Prison in "War Against Gangs"" . Financial Times (in Spanish). Mexico City, Mexico. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  14. ↑ Rodríguez, Milton (7 March 2023). "Gobierno Oculta el Costo y los Contratos de Construcción del Megapenal de Tecoluca" [Government Hides the Cost and Construction Contracts of the Tecoluca Mega Penalty]. El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  15. ↑ Crespín, Verónica (12 November 2024). "El CECOT Costó al Menos $115 Millones en Construcción y Equipamiento, Revela Bukele" [CECOT Cost At Least $115 Million in Construction and Equipment, Reveals Bukele]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  16. 1 2 Renteria, Nelson & Kinosian, Sarah (1 February 2023). Maler, Sandra (ed.). "El Salvador Opens 40,000-Person Prison as Arrests Soar in Gang Crackdown". Reuters . San Salvador, El Salvador. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 Murray, Christine; Smith, Alan & Cook, Christopher (6 March 2023). "Inside El Salvador's Mega-Prison: The Jail Giving Inmates Less Space than Livestock" . Financial Times . Mexico City and London . Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 Quesada, Juan Diego (7 February 2024). "Inside Nayib Bukele's Alcatraz: 'It Is Impossible to Escape. These Psychopaths are Going to Spend Their Whole Lives Behind Bars Here'". El País . Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Ventas, Leire; García, Carlos (14 July 2023). Gil, Tamara; Robino, Carolina; Olona, Carol; García Marco, Daniel; Buckley, Sarah (eds.). "El Salvador's Secretive Mega-Jail". BBC News . Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Ventas, Leire (14 February 2024). "Coming Face to Face with Inmates in El Salvador's Mega-Jail". BBC News . Retrieved 31 January 2025.
  21. 1 2 Helmore, Edward & Phillips, Tom (16 March 2025). "US Deports 250 Alleged Gang Members to El Salvador Despite Court Ruling to Halt Flights". The Guardian . New York City and Rio de Janeiro . Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Culver, David; Alvarado, Abel & Contreras, Evelio (13 November 2024). Clarke, Rachel (ed.). "Exclusive: Locking Eyes with Mass Murderers in El Salvador". CNN (in Spanish). Tecoluca, El Salvador. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  23. ↑ Valencia, Roberto (29 December 2023). "La Cena de Navidad en la Megacárcel de Bukele" [Christmas Dinner in Bukele's Megaprison]. BBC Mundo (in Spanish). Tecoluca, El Salvador. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  24. 1 2 3 Alemán, Marcos (4 February 2025). "What to Know about El Salvador's Mega-Prison After Trump Deal to Send People There". Associated Press . San Salvador, El Salvador. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  25. ↑ Bernal, David (11 June 2024). "Trasladan 2,000 Privados de Libertad al CECOT, el Megapenal de El Salvador que ya Llegó a la Cifra de 14,532 Reclusos" [2,000 Transferred Prisoners to CECOT, El Salvador's Megaprison Which Already Holds 14,532 Prisoners]. La Prensa Gráfica (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  26. ↑ "What to Know About the El Salvador Mega-Prison Where Trump Sent Deported Venezuelans". The Guardian . 20 March 2025. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  27. ↑ Culver, David; Alvarado, Abel; Contreras, Evelio; Clarke, Rachel (8 April 2025). "In Notorious Salvadoran Prison, US Deportees Live in Identical Cells to Convicted Gangsters". CNN . Tecoluca, El Salvador. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  28. ↑ Luciano, Lilia (14 February 2025). "Inside El Salvador's Notorious CECOT Mega-Prison, Which Could Soon House Deportees From the U.S." CBS News . San Salvador, El Salvador. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  29. ↑ Kitroeff, Natalie; Ramos, Fred (2 February 2024). "He Cracked Down on Gangs and Rights. Now He's Set to Win a Landslide". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 11 April 2025.
  30. ↑ Pappier, Juan (7 December 2022). ""We Can Arrest Anyone We Want"". Human Rights Watch .
  31. ↑ Renteria, Nelson; Madry, Kylie (8 February 2024). Bell, Alistair (ed.). "El Salvador Launches Mass Trial for Nearly 500 Accused Gang Leaders". Reuters . San Salvador, El Salvador. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
  32. 1 2 3 4 Alemán, Marcos; Garcia Cano, Regina (16 March 2025). "What to Know About El Salvador's Mega-Prison After Trump Sent Hundreds of Immigrants There". Associated Press . San Salvador, El Salvador. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  33. ↑ Hudson, John (3 February 2025). "El Salvador Offers to Jail 'American Criminals,' Including U.S. Citizens" . The Washington Post . San Salvador, El Salvador. Retrieved 4 February 2025.
  34. ↑ Pozzebon, Stefano; Yeung, Jessie; Soroto, Marlon & Harvey, Lex (3 February 2025). "El Salvador Offers to House Violent U.S. Criminals and Deportees of Any Nationality in Unprecedented Deal". CNN . Retrieved 3 February 2025.
  35. 1 2 Renteria, Nelson; O'Boyle, Brendan; Cortes, Raul (20 March 2025). Maler, Sandra; Osterman, Cynthia (eds.). "Explainer: What is El Salvador's Mega-Prison Holding Venezuelans Deported from the US?". Reuters . San Salvador and Mexico City . Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  36. ↑ Lee, Matthew & Garcia Caro, Regina (15 March 2025). "US Prepares to Deport About 300 Alleged Gang Members to El Salvador". Associated Press . Washington, D.C., United States. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
  37. ↑ Lee, Joyce Sohyun & Schaul, Kevin (16 March 2025). "Deportation Flights Landed After Judge Said Planes Should Turn Around" . The Washington Post . Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  38. ↑ Holsinger, Philip (21 March 2025). "What the Venezuelans Deported to El Salvador Experienced". Time . San Luis Talpa, El Salvador.
  39. ↑ Vega, Cecilia (6 April 2025). "U.S. Sent 238 Migrants to Salvadoran Mega-Prison; Documents Indicate Most Have No Apparent Criminal Records". CBS News . Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  40. 1 2 Barrett, Devlin; Correal, Annie & Rashbaum, William K. (16 March 2025). "Trump Sends Hundreds of Venezuelans to El Salvador in Face of Judge's Order". The New York Times . Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  41. ↑ "Venezuela Dice que no Descansará Hasta Rescatar a Migrantes "Secuestrados" en El Salvador" [Venezuela Says It Will Not Rest Until it Rescues the "Kidnapped" Migrants in El Salvador]. La Prensa Gráfica (in Spanish). 17 March 2025. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  42. ↑ Martínez-Beltrán, Sergio (21 March 2025). "Families of Deported Venezuelans Dispute Fang Claims after Deportations Under Alien Enemies Act". NPR . Retrieved 22 March 2025.
  43. ↑ Forrester, Megan (21 March 2025). "Trump Suggests Tesla Vandals Should be Sent to Prison in El Salvador". ABC News . Retrieved 21 March 2025.
  44. ↑ Renteria, Nelson; Morland, Sarah & Cortes, Raul (24 March 2025). O'Boyle, Brendan & Porter, Mark (eds.). "El Salvador Supreme Court to Hear Defense of Jailed Venezuelans Deported from US". Reuters . San Salvador, El Salvador. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
  45. ↑ Jordán, Laura (26 March 2025). "Secretaria de Seguridad Nacional de EUA Amenaza con el CECOT a Inmigrantes" [Secretary of National Security of the US Threatens Immigrants with CECOT]. La Prensa Gráfica (in Spanish). Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  46. ↑ "EUA Deporta a El Salvador a 17 Señalados de Pertenecer al Tren de Aragua y MS-13" [USA Deports 17 Alleged Members of Tren de Aragua and MS-13 to El Salvador]. La Prensa Gráfica (in Spanish). 31 March 2025. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  47. ↑ Gedeon, Joseph (31 March 2025). "Trump Administration Deports More Alleged Gang Members to El Salvador". The Guardian . Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  48. ↑ Beitsch, Rebecca (31 March 2025). "Trump Administration Deports More Migrants to Salvadoran Prison". The Hill . Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  49. ↑ Sherman, Mark & Whitehurst, Lindsay (7 April 2025). "Supreme Court Allows Trump to Deport Venezuelans Under Wartime Law, But Only After Judges' Review". Associated Press . Washington, D.C., United States. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  50. ↑ Romero, Fátima (1 February 2023). "Bukele Presenta "La Cárcel Más Grande de América" para 40.000 Reos" [Bukele Presents "the Biggest Prison in America" for 40,000 Inmates]. Bloomberg Línea (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  51. ↑ Alemán, Marcos & Meléndez, Salvador (3 February 2023). "El Salvador Bets Safety on Incarceration; Unveils New Prison". Associated Press . Tecoluca, El Salvador. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  52. ↑ Quiej, Bessy (24 February 2023). "Videos | Presidente Nayib Bukele Confirma Envío de 2 Mil Pandilleros al CECOT" [Videos | President Nayib Bukele Confirms More than 2 Thousand Prisoners in CECOT]. La Página (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  53. ↑ "Second Group Of Prisoners Transferred To El Salvador Mega-Jail". Barron's . 15 March 2023. Retrieved 15 March 2023.
  54. 1 2 "El Salvador Transfers 2,000 Gang Members to Mega-Prison Cecot". The Tico Times . 12 June 2024. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  55. ↑ ""La Cárcel Más Criticada del Mundo" Ya Suma 4,000 Presos en El Salvador" ["The Most Criticized Prison in the World" Now Has 4,000 Prisoners in El Salvador]. Telemundo Miami (in Spanish). San Salvador, El Salvador. 15 March 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  56. ↑ "Thousands of Tattooed Inmates Pictured in El Salvador Mega-Prison". BBC . 25 February 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  57. ↑ Kitroeff, Natalie & Volpe, Daniele (9 April 2023). "El Salvador Decimated Its Ruthless Gangs. But at What Cost?". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  58. 1 2 Javaid, Maham (26 February 2023). "El Salvador's President is Flaunting a New Mega Prison. Activists are Worried" . The Washington Post . Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  59. ↑ Pozzebon, Stefano (7 March 2023). "Why El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele Wants Everyone to Know About His New Prison". CNN (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  60. 1 2 Santacecilia, María (6 February 2025). "Dos Años del CECOT, el Emblema de la Mano Dura de Bukele" [Two Years of CECOT, the Emblem of Bukele's Iron Fist]. DW Español (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 March 2025.
  61. ↑ Rios, Michael (17 March 2025). "What We Know About El Salvador's 'Mega Prison' Where Trump Is Sending Alleged Venezuelan Gang Members". CNN .
  62. ↑ Mathias, Christopher (30 March 2025). "Don't Think 'It Can't Happen Here' — It's Already Happening". MSNBC . Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  63. ↑ Serwer, Adam (2 April 2025). "Trump's Salvadoran Gulag" . The Atlantic . Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  64. ↑ "Petro: Megacárcel de El Salvador es "Campo de Concentración"" [Petro: El Salvador Mega-Prison is a "Concentration Camp"]. DW News (in Spanish). 2 February 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  65. ↑ "Noticiero 11 de Septiembre: Centros Penales Permitió Ingreso de Medio Internacional al CECOT" [Newscast for 11 September: Penal Centers Allowed International Media Entry to CECOT]. YouTube (in Spanish). La Prensa Gráfica. 11 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  66. ↑ Rodríguez, Andrés (21 February 2024). "Frivolizing Bukele's 'Alcatraz': Luisito Comunica's Latest Controversy". El País (in Spanish). Mexico City, Mexico. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
  67. ↑ Ruhi Çenet (9 February 2025). The World's Highest Security Prison: CECOT (The most evil are kept here) . Retrieved 11 April 2025– via YouTube.
  68. ↑ Culver, David & Clarke, Rachel (14 November 2024). "Matt Gaetz Would Oversee US Prisons as AG. He Thinks El Salvador's Hardline Lockups are a Model". CNN . Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  69. ↑ "US Deportees Face Brutal Conditions in El Salvador Mega-Prison: 'Severe Overcrowding, Inadequate Dood'". The Guardian . Interviewed by Singh, Maanvi. 20 March 2025.
  70. ↑ Meyer, Josh (22 March 2025). "Shackles, Shock Troops, Windowless Cells: How Bad is Trump's Favorite Salvadoran Prison?". USA Today . Washington, D.C., United States. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
  71. ↑ Bernal, Daniel (3 February 2023). "Amnistía Internacional Expresa Preocupación por Megapenal de El Salvador" [Amnesty International Expresses Worry with El Salvador's Mega Prison]. La Prensa Gráfica (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  72. ↑ Urbina, Javier & Portillo, Denni (12 September 2023). "Megapenal de Tecoluca Será Vigilado por Juzgados de Usulután y Cojutepeque" [Mega-Prison of Tecoluca Will Be Monitored by Courts in Usulután and Cojutepeque]. La Prensa Gráfica (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  73. ↑ Renteria, Nelson; Diaz, Lizbeth & Morland, Sarah (1 June 2023). Wong, Jacqueline (ed.). "El Salvador President Pledges White-Collar Prison in 'War' on Corruption". Reuters . San Salvador, El Salvador. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  74. ↑ Parra, J. (29 November 2023). "Bukele Anuncia la Construcción de Una Cárcel Únicamente para los Corruptos" [Bukele Announces the Construction of a Prison Only for Corrupt People]. Alerta Mundial (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  75. ↑ Alfaro, Xiomara (28 November 2023). "Bukele Anuncia Construcción de CECOC: Centro de Reclusión para Corruptos" [Bukele Announces the Construction of CECOC: Center for the Imprisonment of Corrupt Individuals]. El Diario de Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  76. ↑ Linthicum, Kate (25 July 2023). "Inside the Growing Cult of El Salvador's Nayib Bukele, Latin America's Political Star" . Los Angeles Times . Mexico City, Mexico. Retrieved 15 August 2023.
  77. ↑ Ioanes, Ellen (20 June 2024). "Why Latin American Leaders are Obsessed with Mega Prisons". Vox . Retrieved 21 June 2024.
  78. ↑ Pérez D., Sonia (4 June 2023). "Guatemala's Presidential Hopefuls Channel Heavy-Handed Tactics of El Salvador's Leader". Associated Press . Guatemala City, Guatemala. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  79. ↑ "Ecuador to Build Mega-Jails Inspired by El Salvador's Hardline Leader" . The Daily Telegraph . 4 January 2024. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  80. ↑ "Honduras to Build 20,000-Inmate 'Megaprison' as Part of Gang Crackdown". Al Jazeera English . 15 June 2024. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  81. ↑ "Costa Rica Eyes El Salvador's Mega-Prison Model as Violence Escalates". The Tico Times . 5 April 2025. Retrieved 5 April 2025.

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