Donald Trump’s position on immigration has pulled global attention toward one of the most controversial prisons in the world, a facility critics warn is designed “to dispose of people without formally applying the death penalty.”

El Salvador’s CECOT, short for the Centre for the Confinement of Terrorism, sits about 70 kilometers east of San Salvador and spreads across a 23-hectare site.

Built in February 2023 as the centerpiece of President Nayib Bukele’s aggressive crackdown on gangs, the facility can hold up to 40,000 inmates, making it the largest prison complex in the Americas.

The $115 million project forms a key part of the 44-year-old president’s security strategy, which has driven a sharp drop in homicide rates across El Salvador.

‘Concrete and steel pit’

Bukele’s policies have drawn both praise and alarm. Supporters point to improved public safety, while critics warn that mass arrests and detentions risk sweeping up individuals without sufficient evidence.

The prison itself has become central to that debate. Analysts from the SAIS Review of International Affairs note that the facility prioritizes “security and isolation over rehabilitation, reflecting a punitive approach to incarceration.”

In an interview with BBC, Miguel Sarre, a former member of the United Nations Subcommittee for the Prevention of Torture, described the mega prison as a “concrete and steel pit,” underscoring concerns about conditions inside.

Trump’s deportation fuels controversy

The issue took a sharp turn when Bukele offered the Trump administration a deal to house “dangerous criminals” deported from the United States in the “notorious” prison.