Ice cold disasters that shook the planet
Pictured: inmates belonging to the MS-13 and 18th Street gangs arrive in CECOT. Guards wear masks to protect their identity.
Pictured: inmates walk under the rain as they arrive at El Salvador's Terrorist Confinement Center.
A prison officer stands at the gate inside CECOT.
These are the cells US criminals may end up being incarcerated in.
Sources: (Associated Press) (NPR) (BBC)
A prison officer monitors the security cameras at Latin America's biggest prison.
The first group of 2,000 detainees was moved to CECOT on February 24, 2023.
A CECOT inmate is handcuffed with a plastic cable tie.
Inmates move through the prison under the supervision of guards.
El Salvador has one of highest crime rates in Latin America.
Prison officers stand on a pavilion inside El Salvador's mega-prison.
In 2024, the human rights organization Cristosal said that at least 261 people have died in El Salvador prisons.
Prison guards stand outside the cells at the Terrorism Confinement Center.
Officers in riot gear stand patrol by the cells at CECOT.
In addition to the talks, inmates are also instructed by the guards to exercise.
Pictured: the helmets of prison security officers at the Terrorism Confinement Center.
The Terrorism Confinement Center is located in the town of Tecoluca, about 45 miles (72 km) east of the capital San Salvador.
CECOT's cells are basic and are shared by dozens of inmates.
Inmates are never allowed outside, and they don’t receive visits.
This is no ordinary prison. Inmates don’t have access to any type of rehabilitation programs (i.e. no educational programs or anything that might help them integrate society).
Prisoners are placed in large cells with other inmates. Each cell holds 65 to 70 prisoners.
Inmates wait as 2,000 detainees are moved to El Salvador's mega-prison.
Thousands of gang members are imprisoned in the "largest prison in the Americas."
Detainees line up close together as they move inside the prison.
A bird's-eye view of inmates moving through El Salvador's Terrorism Confinement Center.
El Salvador's mega-prison has a large capacity—enough to receive US prisoners if needed.
This handout from the press secretary of the presidency of El Salvador shows the arrival of gang members to the new prison.
CECOT is divided into eight pavilions, and has a total capacity of 40,000 inmates.
The only exceptions are motivational talks from other prisoners. Inmates sit in rows in the corridor and listen to the talks previously approved by guards.
Recently, the Trump administration and El Salvador's president announced an agreement allowing the US to send both detained migrants and imprisoned citizens to the mega-prison in El Salvador. President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador is known for his hardline stance on crime, especially gang-related activities. In 2023, he opened the Terrorism Confinement Center, or Cecot.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called El Salvador's offer to incarcerate US citizens “an extraordinary gesture never before extended by any country.” But the legality of this arrangement is still under review, according to Rubio. "Obviously, we’ll have to study it on our end. There are legalities involved. We have a Constitution, and we have all sorts of things," he added.
In this gallery, we take you on a journey inside El Salvador’s mega-prison. Click on for more.
Inside the mega-prison in El Salvador that Trump wants to send US criminals to
Americans may end up in El Salvador's Terrorism Confinement Center
LIFESTYLE Terrorism confinement center
Recently, the Trump administration and El Salvador's president announced an agreement allowing the US to send both detained migrants and imprisoned citizens to the mega-prison in El Salvador. President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador is known for his hardline stance on crime, especially gang-related activities. In 2023, he opened the Terrorism Confinement Center, or Cecot.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called El Salvador's offer to incarcerate US citizens “an extraordinary gesture never before extended by any country.” But the legality of this arrangement is still under review, according to Rubio. "Obviously, we’ll have to study it on our end. There are legalities involved. We have a Constitution, and we have all sorts of things," he added.
In this gallery, we take you on a journey inside El Salvador’s mega-prison. Click on for more.