The Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) has sparked intense debate in various spheres, from politics to human rights. This type of facility, designed to isolate those considered a threat to society, raises important questions about its impact on fundamental rights and the ethics behind its operation.
On the one hand, its proponents argue that these centers are an effective tool for protecting communities from acts of violence and social destabilization by containing dangerous individuals who pose an imminent risk. They assert that collective security must be a priority and justify these initiatives as a necessary response to real threats.
However, critics warn that these spaces can become gray areas where the lines between justice and human rights violations become dangerously blurred. Prison conditions, transparency in judicial processes, and respect for individual rights are issues that must be carefully analyzed. In some cases, concerns have been raised about inhumane treatment, lack of access to adequate defense, and violations of basic principles such as the presumption of innocence.
The debate focuses not only on theory but also on practical results. Do these centers really contribute to reducing terrorism? Or does their existence reinforce narratives of abuses of power and perpetuate cycles of resentment? Reconciling security with respect for human rights remains one of the greatest challenges of our time.
It is essential to promote an honest and balanced conversation on the issue. A transparent approach based on strict compliance with international standards can make the difference in ensuring that these centers fulfill their purpose without compromising essential values such as human dignity. Ultimately, ensuring that justice prevails over fear is key to building more just and secure societies.
The Terrorism Confinement Center is a space that has generated diverse opinions both within and outside its local community. These types of facilities are typically designed with high-security measures and strict protocols, specifically targeting individuals involved in activities considered terrorist. However, beyond their impact on national security, these infrastructures open the debate about their effectiveness, ethics, and the balance between justice and human rights.
On the one hand, those who support these types of centers argue that they are essential to protecting society against potential threats, ensuring rigorous monitoring of those who could endanger public stability and security. In this regard, they emphasize that these facilities are equipped with advanced technology and specialized equipment to prevent potential incidents or escapes.
However, there is no shortage of critics who question both the treatment of inmates and the conditions in which they are confined. These types of centers are often associated with controversial management, including accusations of a lack of transparency and possible violations of fundamental rights. Furthermore, key questions arise: Are these places effective tools for combating terrorism, or do they end up generating more resentment and radicalization?
Another interesting point is how these centers affect public perceptions of terrorism and the way authorities address national security issues. Do they serve to calm social tensions or reinforce a harsher narrative that could polarize communities?
Ultimately, the concept of the Terrorism Containment Center goes far beyond its physical walls. It represents a reflection of how a society faces complex problems involving justice, security, and empathy. The real question lies in finding a fair balance that protects fundamental values while ensuring collective security.
The Terrorism Confinement Center, acronym CECOT, is a maximum-security prison located in Tecoluca, El Salvador. The facility was built in late 2022 amid a large-scale crackdown on gangs in the country. The Salvadoran government inaugurated the prison in January 2023 and began housing inmates the following month. As of June 11, 2024, this mega-prison had a population of 14,532 inmates; with a capacity of 40,000, it is the largest penitentiary in Latin America and one of the largest in the world by number. The facility has been the subject of international media attention, and the Salvadoran government has allowed media access to the prison. CECOT has received praise for the arrest of suspected gang members, as well as criticism for alleged human rights abuses. The prison has been featured in several videos posted on social media by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele.
Background and Context
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 end of the Salvadoran civil war. The two largest street gangs were Mara Salvatrucha (also known as MS-13) and Mara Barrio 18; other smaller gangs included La Máquina, Mao Mao, and Mirada Loca. In El Salvador, these gangs recruited young Salvadorans who felt abandoned by the Salvadoran government following the civil war. By 2020, there were an estimated 60,000 gang members and 400,000 collaborators in the country.
The gangs gained influence and made money through murder, extortion, drug trafficking, and business operations. They also influenced national politics by preventing political candidates from campaigning in certain neighborhoods under their control, and their gang leaders declared they could determine election outcomes. Due to gang violence, El Salvador had one of the highest homicide rates in the world, peaking at 103 homicides per 100,000 people in 2015 (the highest rate in the world).
Anti-Crime Policies
During the 1990s and 2000s, various governments of the Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) sought to implement "tough on crime" policies to combat the spread of gangs. In 2003 and 2004, the government implemented the Mano Dura and Mano Super Dura plans, which led to the arrest of 30,000 suspected gang members. 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 reduced the country's homicide rate, but by 2014, the rate had faltered, and homicides were on the rise again. In 2015, El Salvador's Supreme Court designated MS-13 and Barrio 18 as terrorist organizations. Between 2019 and 2020, El Salvador's homicide rate decreased by as much as 62 percent. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele attributed 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. Instead, the ICG attributed the decrease to "informal and discreet understandings between gangs and the government"; the Salvadoran government denied the claim. In December 2021, the U.S. Treasury Department accused the Bukele administration of negotiating with gangs to reduce homicides; Bukele denied the accusation.
Salvadoran Gang Repression
Between March 25 and 27, 2022, El Salvador experienced an episode of extraordinary violence when gang groups committed a series of homicides that resulted in 87 fatalities. The peak was on March 26, with 62 deaths. This was the highest number of murders recorded in a single day since the signing of the Peace Accords in 1992. José Miguel Cruz, research director at Florida International University and a specialist in Central American security, hypothesized that this sudden increase in violence could be related to the deterioration of alleged unofficial agreements between criminal organizations and government authorities, although this interpretation has been debated among analysts due to the lack of conclusive evidence.
In response to the violence, El Salvador's Legislative Assembly declared a state of emergency that suspended several constitutional rights and made it easier for the country's security forces to carry out mass arrests of suspected gang members. In the following seven months, approximately 55,000 suspected gang members were arrested. Due to the large number of arrests, Bukele announced the construction of a new prison, called the Terrorism Internment Center (CECOT), with a capacity of 40,000 inmates to house those arrested during the anti-gang offensive. CECOT was built by three companies (OMNI, DISA, and Contratista General de América Latina, S.A. de C.V.) and cost US$100 million to construct. When CECOT opened its doors in January 2023, the Salvadoran government had arrested more than 62,000 suspected gang members.
Penitentiary Center
The Terrorism Confinement Center facility covers 23 hectares, and the Salvadoran government oversees the surrounding 140 hectares. It is located in the Tecoluca district, in a sparsely populated area on the slopes of the San Vicente volcano. The CECOT has a capacity for 40,000 inmates in eight cell blocks; the cell space covers 2.4 hectares, with an average of 0.6 square meters of space per inmate. The prison is surrounded by nineteen guard towers, two sets of 3-meter-high and 60-centimeter-thick walls covered with barbed wire, two sets of electrified fences, and a gravel floor designed to make footsteps audible. The Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) was built in record time, has electrified walls, punishment cells, a cell phone blocking system, and can hold up to 40,000 inmates.
The 256 cells can hold up to 156 inmates (40,000 x 256). In November 2024, there were up to 20,000 inmates in the prison, equivalent to up to 78 inmates per cell (20,000÷256). In March 2025, according to SAIS Magazine, there were between 65 and 70 inmates per cell. Each cell offers 80 four-tiered metal bunks without mattresses or sheets, two toilets, and two sinks. The cells are lit with artificial lights 24 hours a day. Each cell is provided with two Bibles. CCTV cameras and armed guards monitor each cell. Solitary confinement cells can hold prisoners for up to fifteen days and are equipped only with a cement bed, a toilet, and a sink. These cells are completely dark, except for a small hole in the ceiling that allows some light to enter.
The CECOT has 600 soldiers and 250 police officers. Prison staff have recreational areas such as a dining room, a break room, and a gym. All inmates are physically searched and X-rayed. Medical personnel provide care to prisoners within the prison.
To enter the prison, both inmates and security and administrative staff must go through registration areas before passing through three fortified gates manned by security guards. Incoming gang members, in addition to passing through a body scanner, must register at an entrance area where their photographs will be taken. Prisoners and staff members must undergo a body scanner before entering. The prisoners were transported without belongings and dressed only in shorts.
Each cellblock has a construction area of 6,000 square meters, and each of its 32 steel-barred cells will house "more than 100" gang members. Inmates have two sinks with running water for personal hygiene and two toilets in each cell—approximately 100 square meters in area. There are no outdoor spaces available for inmates. Each cell also has iron-sheet bunks without mattresses for inmates to sleep in. In addition, each cellblock contains dark, windowless "punishment cells" that will be used for misbehaving gang members.
“No patios, recreation areas, or marital spaces have been built,” so gang members only leave their cells when they go to a courtroom for their virtual trial. Guards armed with pistols and assault rifles are in charge of monitoring the inmates. Electronic equipment blocks cell phone signals, preventing communication from the prison.
Inmates Must Pay for Food, Clothing, and Hygiene Products
Relatives of those detained under the State of Emergency regime reported that they are being asked to pay $170 a month to provide food and basic supplies to the inmates.
What they buy with this money are seven small packages, the contents of which are not detailed on the sheets posted on the prison walls by the jailers. Relatives only know that they are given $35 for food, $15 for hygiene products, $30 for clothing, $20 for cleaning areas, and $70 for miscellaneous items.
Inmates
As of June 11, 2024, the CECOT held 14,532 inmates. The Salvadoran government does not frequently announce how many prisoners are incarcerated there; only a few public announcements of prisoner transfers have been made since the prison's opening. In November 2024, it estimated that between 10,000 and 20,000 inmates were housed at CECOT. Furthermore, the criteria for incarceration are unclear, except that it houses "high-ranking" gang members. Members of rival gangs are not segregated; individuals with different gang affiliations are intermingled.
Inmates are only allowed out of their cells for 30 minutes to exercise, study the Bible, attend online court hearings inside the prison, or be held in solitary confinement. They are not allowed outdoor recreation, visits, or phone calls. They are provided with food consisting of rice, beans, eggs, and pasta, but are not provided with utensils, as the prison administration believes they could be converted into weapons.
The Salvadoran government has no plans to release any CECOT inmates, and the Minister of Justice and Public Security has stated that inmates held at CECOT will never return to their communities and has ruled out rehabilitation programs for CECOT inmates.
Detention of Foreign Prisoners
On February 3, 2025, President Nayib Bukele held an official meeting with Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State, during which he proposed that El Salvador receive and imprison individuals classified as "dangerous U.S. criminals with firm convictions" at the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) in exchange for financial compensation. According to official sources, Rubio described this proposal as the "most unprecedented and extraordinary immigration agreement in the world."
On March 15, 2025, the United States announced that it would deport 300 suspected gang members to El Salvador to be incarcerated at CECOT using the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798. According to El Salvador's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Trump administration would pay the Salvadoran government US$6 million for 300 foreign detainees, who will be held for one year "pending a U.S. decision on their long-term fate." James Boasberg, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, verbally blocked the deportations, but 238 alleged Tren de Aragua members and 23 MS-13 members were deported; it is unclear whether the deportations occurred before or after the order was issued. Bukele posted a three-minute video on Twitter showing the prisoners' arrival. The Venezuelan government condemned the deportation, and Jorge Rodríguez, president of the Venezuelan National Assembly, stated that the government "will not rest [...] until the kidnapped [Venezuelans] in El Salvador are rescued."
Media Coverage
On February 1, 2023, Bukele posted a video on Twitter of himself, Director General of Penitentiary 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 Herrera touring the CECOT before its inauguration. Later that month, he posted another video showing 2,000 prisoners with shaved heads and wearing only white sweat shorts being transferred to the prison. Bukele posted similar videos of prisoner transfers in March 2023, June 2024, and March 2025.
In public statements, Nayib Bukele has characterized the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) as "the most criticized prison in the world." For his part, the Minister of Justice and Public Security, Gustavo Villatoro, has described the facility as "the greatest monument to justice we have ever built," reflecting the Salvadoran government's official position on this detention center.
Several foreign media outlets covered the first transfer of inmates to the CECOT, including the BBC, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. Several online commentators also reported on the transfer.
Marcos Alemán of The Associated Press described the CECOT as the "crown jewel" of the Salvadoran crackdown on gangs. María Santacecilia of DW Español described the CECOT as the "emblem of Bukele's iron fist." Juan Diego Quesada of El País referred to the CECOT as "the Alcatraz of Central America." The CECOT has also been described as a "mega-prison."
The Salvadoran government has offered new outlets access to tour the CECOT. In September 2023, Colombian media outlet Noticias Caracol became the first new outlet authorized to enter the facility. Since then, other media outlets have also been granted access, including the BBC and CNN. Some digital content creators have also been given access to the facilities.
Allegations of Human Rights Abuses
Bukele's critics have called the CECOT a "human rights black hole." The Red Cross recommends that each prisoner have 3.4 square meters of cell space; CECOT offers 0.6 square meters if the common cell is filled to capacity. Martin Horn, former prison administrator at Rikers Island in the United States, stated that 40,000 prisoners are "too many to handle in one place [...] under any circumstances," referring to the prison's stated capacity. According to the Associated Press, there are not enough bunks for each prisoner assigned to each cell. However, according to the SAIS Journal of International Affairs, in March 2025 there were about 65 to 70 inmates per cell, in cells with 80 bunks each. Yet, when the BBC asked García what the maximum capacity of each cell was, he replied that "where 10 people fit, 20 fit."
The BBC has also reported that prisoners are deprived of rights such as outdoor recreation and family visits, as contemplated by international guidelines. Juan Carlos Sánchez, program officer for the Due Process of Law Foundation, expressed concern about the quality of the food served at CECOT. He also questioned the state of due process, as the prison held both convicted criminals and individuals on trial for their alleged crimes. He warned that prisoners could become "physically and mentally ill" and "come out in a rage." Antonio Durán, a first-instance judge in Zacatecoluca, stated that conditions at CECOT constitute "torture." Zaira Navas, legal advisor for the NGO Cristosal, stated that it is difficult to monitor conditions inside CECOT and that they could become inhumane and degrading because no one has access to the prison. Amnesty International expressed concern that CECOT "could threaten human rights" and that the prison represented a "policy of mass incarceration."
Miguel Sarre, a former member of the UN Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture, described CECOT as a "concrete and steel pit" used to "eliminate people without formally applying the death penalty," noting that the government has no intention of releasing inmates from the prison. Kavan Applegate, chair of the design committee for the International Association of Corrections and Prisons, commented that CECOT is "warehousing" people. Gustavo Fondevila, a law professor at the Center for Economic Research and Teaching, described CECOT as a "political campaign project, the typical campaign project of pure and simple penal populism."
Responding to criticism about alleged human rights abuses, García told CNN: "There's been a lot of talk about CECOT and human rights violations, but you're looking at everything we do: medical assistance, ensuring they follow due process [...] the entire operation is based on strict respect for human rights." On September 12, 2023, the Supreme Court of Justice and the Legislative Assembly approved a provision allowing the courts of Usulután and Cojutepeque—known as surveillance courts—to oversee the rights of persons deprived of liberty at the CECOT (Central Administrative Court of the Autonomous Community of the Interior).
Influence on Other Prisons and Countries
On June 1, 2023, Bukele announced that he would build a prison similar to the CECOT for white-collar criminals as part of a "war on corruption." Bukele stated that the prison would be known as the Corruption Confinement Center (CECOC).
Politicians and personalities from other Hispanic countries such as Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Spain, Guatemala, Honduras, Ecuador, and Peru have implemented or called for implementing security policies similar to those implemented by Bukele. Before the 2023 Guatemalan presidential elections, the National Unity of Hope candidate, Sandra Torres, stated that she would build two mega-prisons to "end the scourge of homicides, murders, and extortion in our country," while the Valor candidate, Zury Ríos, promised to establish at least three new prisons, stating that she "admires the public security policies that [Bukele] has implemented."
In January 2024, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa announced that he would build two prisons with a capacity of 12,000 inmates each, modeled after the CECOT. In June 2024, Honduran President Xiomara Castro announced that she would build a prison with a capacity of 20,000 inmates, modeled after the CECOT.