The President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, plans to double the size of the mega-prison Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (Cecot), where more than 15,000 people are currently held, including over 200 migrants sent by the United States, according to the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.
The expansion plan was revealed by Bukele to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem during her visit last month to inspect the prison. This prison, known for allegations of human rights abuses, has once again come under scrutiny after receiving more than 200 migrants, mostly Venezuelans, sent as part of Trump's policy against alleged foreign criminals.
The Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (Cecot) was inaugurated in 2023 and is presented by the Salvadoran government as the largest prison in Latin America. Recently, the U.S. president thanked Bukele for keeping the migrants detained and expressed his interest in sending U.S. citizens who commit violent crimes to El Salvador.
During a meeting at the White House with Bukele, Trump mentioned that he would like to include local criminals in the group of people sent to this country, hinting at the possibility of building more prisons in El Salvador. Despite boasting about high security in the prison, Bukele keeps the migrants isolated, even if they have not been proven to be pending charges, as in the case of Kilmar Ábrego García, a Salvadoran sent to prison due to administrative error.
This case has sparked a legal battle that has now reached the U.S. Supreme Court, prompting Senator Chris Van Hollen to travel to El Salvador to demand the release of Ábrego García.
