Donald Trump’s immigration stance has drawn global attention to El Salvador’s CECOT prison, a massive and controversial facility critics call inhumane.
CECOT (Centre for the Confinement of Terrorism), built in 2023 under President Nayib Bukele, is the largest prison in the Americas, designed to hold up to 40,000 inmates as part of his aggressive anti-gang crackdown. While crime rates have dropped, human rights groups warn of mass detentions and harsh conditions.
The prison has become more controversial after Bukele offered it to house deported “dangerous criminals” from the U.S. The Trump administration reportedly used wartime powers to deport hundreds of alleged offenders there, sparking legal and political backlash.
Critics, including former UN advisor Miguel Sarre, describe CECOT as a “concrete and steel pit” and a “black hole of human rights,” arguing inmates may never leave once inside.
Inside, prisoners live under extreme control: shaved heads, identical uniforms, constant surveillance, 23.5-hour lockdowns, and minimal food. Cells are overcrowded, with little more than bunk beds and a Bible.
Some deportees have reported abuse, beatings, and torture, while officials defend the facility as housing violent criminals.
The prison remains a global flashpoint between security policy and human rights concerns.