Inside the El Salvador mega-prison where Trump is sending hundreds of immigrants [View all]
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
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