CECOT

Sonia Bugajska

Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo is a maximum security prison in Tecoluca, El Salvador.

In the 1990s, El Salvador faced an increase in street gang violence. Gangs like Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and the 18th Street gang (Barrio 18) gained power and influence. This was the result of the Salvadoran Civil War following deportation from the USA. Feeling mistreated by their government, young Salvadorians began joining gangs. By 2020 there were an estimated 60,000 gang members and 400,000 collaborators in El Salvador.

In 2019, when Nayib Bukele became the president of El Salvador, he declared “War Against the Gangs” and started an aggressive campaign to combat crime and gang violence. The construction of The Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) began in 2022, and the prison officially opened in 2023.

The prison facility covers an area of 23 hectares, with the surrounding area encompassing an additional 140 hectares. CECOT has the capacity of 40,000 inmates with an average of 0.6 square meters of space per prisoner. The cells are equipped with four-level metal bunks with no mattresses or sheets, two toilets, and two wash basins, as well as two Bibles. The cells are lit by artificial lights all day round and monitored by CCTV cameras and armed guards.

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 in.

Human rights organizations have voiced their concerns with CECOT. They documented that the prison has been involved in massive human rights violations, such as arbitrary arrests, lack of fair trials, and inhumane prison conditions. The suspension of constitutional protections means people can be imprisoned without evidence, access to a lawyer, or even knowing the charges against them. These practices do not satisfy the standards of basic legal protections and raise fears of authoritarian abuse disguised as fighting crime.

In all honesty, CECOT has contributed to reduced homicide rates and controlled the issue of gangs, which garnered Bukele even more popularity. However, thousands of people with no associations with gangs, including children, were dragged into custody. Many were beaten, tortured, or even killed.

On March 15, 2025, the Trump administration used the Alien Enemies Act to deny due process rights for more than 250 Venezuelan and Salvadoran immigrants, and flew them to El Salvador to be imprisoned in CECOT. Under this law, the US President could authorize the arrest, relocation, or deportation of any male over the age of 14 who hails from a foreign enemy country. Both Trump and Bukele claimed the men are members of gangs Tren de Aragua and MS-13. On 15 March, 2025, Nayib Bukele visited the White House. During the meeting, they discussed further cooperation and the case of Abrego Garcia. Abrego Garcia entered the US illegally but was granted protection from deportation after an immigration judge found that a gang in El Salvador had threatened to kill him because of his family’s business. He was later arrested by the immigration officers in the US and transported to CECOT. When questioned about Garcia’s return, Bukele said: "The question is preposterous. How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States?"

In April 2025, Bukele stated that he intended to double CECOT's capacity to 80,000 inmates. With Trump’s deportation policy, the Terrorism Confinement Center remains a highly controversial topic. Despite a visible decrease in homicide rates in El Salvador, moral and legal questions persist, as many wonder if the cost of security has been too high.