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Inside El Salvador’s CECOT: A Deep Dive into the Nation’s Controversial Penal System
San Salvador — A 90-minute drive from El Salvador’s capital leads to one of the country’s most infamous facilities: the Center for the Confinement of Terrorism (CEOT). This prison, inaugurated in 2023, was constructed to detain the most violent members of gangs in a nation that previously held the title for the highest murder rate globally.
The conditions within CECOT are stark. Visitors are strictly prohibited, and all legal proceedings are conducted via Zoom to prevent any external communication. Moreover, cell signals are jammed within a mile-and-a-half perimeter to hinder gang members from exerting influence or communicating. Authorities claim that gangs once controlled approximately 85% of the country, but due to recent initiatives, El Salvador now records the lowest homicide rate in the Western Hemisphere.
Beginning in 2022, President Nayib Bukele declared a state of emergency that granted law enforcement powers to arrest individuals suspected of gang involvement without requiring any evidence of criminal activity. This rigorous approach has resulted in the detention of over 80,000 people, elevating El Salvador to the rank of having the highest incarceration rate worldwide, estimated at 2%. Despite the draconian measures, Bukele enjoys a staggering approval rating of over 90% among citizens.
Inmates at CECOT face sentences that stretch over centuries, with many still awaiting trial. The prison’s director asserts that no inmate will ever be released from their confines.
Recently, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that Bukele had agreed to accept deportees from the United States, including citizens. Those with criminal convictions would be transferred to facilities like CECOT.
Bukele stated on social media, “We have offered the United States the opportunity to outsource part of its prison system. We are willing to take in only convicted criminals (including convicted U.S. citizens) into our mega-prison (CECOT) in exchange for a fee.” He stressed that the financial arrangement would be “relatively low” and aimed at creating a sustainable prison system in El Salvador.
With a designed capacity for 40,000 inmates, prison authorities did not disclose exact occupancy figures for security reasons, but indicated that the facility is at least half-full. Inmates endure cramped conditions, with around 80 to 100 individuals sharing a cell. Their daily routine only allows for 30 minutes outside their cells, with medical treatment administered on-site to ensure that no inmate exits the facility.
Inmate Marvin Vazquez, a member of the notorious MS-13 gang, was taken into custody following the government’s aggressive anti-gang campaign. Under the harsh realities of incarceration, Vazquez shared his somber outlook, stating he anticipates spending “the rest of my life” in CECOT. “We murdered a lot of people, and this is the consequence of what happened to us; it’s like the Titanic,” he reflected. “We were a large and powerful gang, but we encountered an iceberg.” He confided, “We try to act strong during the day and cry at night.”
While many Salvadorans back Bukele’s anti-gang measures, there is growing concern among migrant advocates regarding the treatment of those who may not warrant such severe punishment. Noah Bullock, the executive director of Cristosal, a human rights organization, expressed his apprehensions: “I worry about the notion that people deemed undesirable in the United States can simply be dispatched to a transnational penal colony without fundamental rights or due process.”
Reports from journalists, activists, and even first responders indicate a troubling pattern of persecution by the state, forcing some into hiding for extended periods. One individual, whose husband was taken from their home without evidence linking him to any gang, expressed parallel fears of the government to those she once had of gangs.
Bullock elaborated on the conditions in CECOT and the overarching implications of Bukele’s security strategy. He believes that the image portrayed by the government, which focuses on tattooed gang members, fails to capture the reality of many detainees and the dire conditions they endure. He argued that the majority of individuals in maximum-security prisons are not gang members, highlighting the broader implications of the government’s approach.
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