Now, President Donald Trump has the authority to send Americans to El Salvador, which is known as “the worst prison in the world.”
The Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT), a maximum security prison, was established in 2023 by President Nayib Bukele’s administration in an attempt to curb gang violence.
This Tecoluca institution, which is considered to be among the safest in the world and has a capacity of 40,000, houses the most dangerous criminals in the country.
The property is protected by two concrete walls and two automatic gates, and it is encircled by 19 towers. The inmates are constantly monitored by a security team within the facility.
The Trump administration seems to embrace CECOT, despite Miguel Sarre, a member of the UN Subcommittee for the Prevention of Torture, once calling it a “concrete and steel pit.”
On Monday, February 3, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that President Bukele had “agreed to the most unprecedented, extraordinary, migratory agreement anywhere in the world.”
“I am happy to accept those who have been deported from the United States, regardless of their nationality,” said El Salvador’s president.
Rubio explained, “We can send them, and he will put them in his jails.”
“Even though they are US citizens or legal residents, he [Bukele] has also offered to do the same for dangerous criminals who are currently in custody and serving their sentences in the United States.”
The Salvadoran leader further stated that he had “given the United States of America the option to outsource part of its prison system.”
But he said his government would be “willing to take in only convicted criminals” and would do it “in exchange for a fee.”
A BBC News Mundo correspondent named Leire Venta talked openly about her visit to the penitentiary last year.
“The artificial lights in here are never turned off, even though it is the middle of the night,” she remarked.
The lattice ceiling allows a breeze of air to enter, offering a moment’s relief from the heat. During the day, the temperature within the cells can rise to 35°C, and there is no additional ventilation.
“Gun-wielding hooded guards keep watch from above.”
The inmates ascend to the four-story bunks below, where they spend the night. They must lie on exposed metal since there are no mattresses or linens.
“They use their hands to eat the food that is provided to them, whether it be pasta, hard-boiled eggs, rice, or beans.”
“Here are the psychopaths, the terrorists, the murderers who had our country in mourning,” she claimed the center’s director informed her.
“Avoid making eye contact with them. It is possible to turn any utensil into a lethal weapon.
