MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bukele says he will expand Cecot capacity

Trump encouraged Bukele to pursue the road of maximum security prisons to tackle gang crime and terrorism

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele announced plans Thursday to double the capacity of the Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot), Latin America's largest prison, which currently holds over 15,000 inmates, including more than 200 migrants deported from the United States.

Washington proceeded to send many people, citing public safety threats, despite the absence of criminal charges against them, it was reported.

The expansion was revealed during a visit to Cecot last month by US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Built in 2023, Cecot has faced criticism from human rights organizations for its harsh conditions, including incommunicado detention and the lack of due process.

Controversy intensified after US President Donald Trump proposed sending US citizens convicted of violent crimes to the Cecot, jokingly suggesting El Salvador would need “five more jails.”

“I don't know what the laws are, but we also have local criminals, and I would like to include them in the group of people we take out of this country,” Trump told Bukele at the White House.

The case of Salvadoran Kilmar Abrego Garcia, mistakenly deported and detained without charges, has reached the US Supreme Court, prompting diplomatic tensions, with Senator Chris Van Hollen demanding his release.

Bukele defends Cecot as central to his anti-gang strategy, while critics argue it violates human rights. The expansion aligns with tighter US immigration policies and growing security cooperation, raising concerns about normalizing mass detentions without judicial oversight.