Cecot prison

Extracted Attributes

• Type

  Maximum-security prison

• Acronym

  CECOT

• Purpose

  Confinement of alleged gang members

• Builders

  OMNI, DISA, Contratista General de América Latina, S.A. de C.V.

• Capacity

  40,000 inmates

• Location

  Tecoluca, San Vicente Department, El Salvador

• Nickname

  Black hole for human rights

• Coordinates

  13.5339907, -88.8046614

• Spanish Name

  Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo

• Facility Area

  23 hectares (57 acres)

• Official Name

  Terrorism Confinement Center

• Surrounding Area

  140 hectares (350 acres)

• Construction Cost

  US$100 million

• Inmate Conditions

  Overcrowding, lack of due process, inhumane conditions, no outdoor access, no family visits, no communication with outside world, lights on 24/7, average 0.60 square meters (6.45 square feet) per inmate

• Rehabilitation Programs

  None

• Confirmed Population (as of 2024-06-11)

  14,532 inmates

• Estimated Population (as of November 2024)

  15,000-20,000 inmates

Timeline

• Construction of CECOT began as part of a large-scale gang crackdown. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia)

  2022-MM-DD

• The Salvadoran government officially opened CECOT. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia)

  2023-01-MM

• CECOT began housing its first inmates. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2023-02-MM

• Images of inmates at CECOT were published. (Source: Web Search (The Guardian))

  2023-MM-DD

• CECOT had a confirmed population of 14,532 inmates. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2024-06-11

• Human Rights Watch explained concerns about prison conditions in El Salvador, including CECOT, to the UN Human Rights Committee. (Source: Web Search)

  2024-07-MM

• The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights expressed concerns about overcrowding at CECOT, citing a study on inmate space. (Source: Web Search)

  2024-09-MM

• Prison director Belarmino García estimated CECOT held between 15,000 and 20,000 inmates. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2024-11-MM

• CECOT received over 200 deportees, including alleged gang members from Venezuela and El Salvador, sent by the second Donald Trump administration. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia, Related Documents)

  2025-03-MM

• A media tour was conducted at CECOT prison. (Source: Web Search (CBS News))

  2025-04-04

• Venezuelan inmates incarcerated in CECOT were repatriated to Venezuela as part of a prisoner swap involving El Salvador, the United States, and Venezuela. (Source: Summary, Wikipedia)

  2025-07-MM

Terrorism Confinement Center

The Terrorism Confinement Center (Spanish: Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo [CECOT], lit. 'Center for the Confinement of Terrorism') is a maximum security prison in Tecoluca, El Salvador. The prison was built in late 2022 amid a large-scale gang crackdown in the country. The Salvadoran government opened the prison in late January 2023, and it began housing inmates the following month. As of 11 June 2024, CECOT had a confirmed population of 14,532 inmates; in November 2024, prison director Belarmino García estimated that CECOT held between 15,000 and 20,000 inmates. With a capacity for 40,000 inmates, CECOT is the largest prison in Latin America and one of the largest in the world by prisoner capacity. In March 2025, the Salvadoran government accepted over 200 deportees that the second Donald Trump administration alleged were Venezuelan and Salvadoran gang members and incarcerated them in CECOT. Among them was Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose case received widespread media attention in the United States. The Venezuelans incarcerated in CECOT were repatriated to Venezuela in July 2025 following a prisoner swap involving El Salvador, the United States, and Venezuela. CECOT is controversial, receiving praise for its detention of alleged gang members and criticism for alleged human rights abuses, including overcrowding, lack of due process, and inhumane conditions. CECOT does not engage in rehabilitation. Few inmates have been released from the facility and authorities have stated in media statements that there are no plans to release any other prisoners. The Salvadoran government has allowed selected media outlets access to participate in guided tours of the prison, while others such as United States senator Chris Van Hollen have been denied access. CECOT has been featured in several videos published on social media, including by Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele.

Web Search Results

• CECOT | Terrorism Confinement Prison, Mega-Prison, El Salvador ...

  Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), maximum-security mega-prison located in Tecoluca, El Salvador. Officially named Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo in Spanish, it is more commonly referred to by its acronym, CECOT. The institution is one of the largest high-security prisons in the world, built to hold up to 40,000 inmates. Construction of the institution began in 2022 under the orders of Salvadoran Pres. Nayib Bukele as part of his administration’s aggressive campaign to combat crime [...] Encyclopedia Britannica Encyclopedia Britannica Salvadoran army secures CECOT grounds Sitting under watch Inmates exercising in a controlled space Salvadoran army secures CECOT grounds # Terrorism Confinement Center Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. ### What is CECOT, and where is it located? CECOT, or Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo, is a maximum-security mega-prison located in Tecoluca, El Salvador. [...] CECOT has faced widespread criticism for the way it treats its prisoners. Critics of the mega-prison have described the institution as a “black hole for human rights.” For example, the prison confines detainees in heavily crowded cells—sometimes with more than 100 people—for up to 23 and a half hours a day. The lights remain on around the clock inside the facility. Inmates are denied outdoor access, visits from family, and communication with the outside world; even lawyers are barred from

• U.S. sent 238 migrants to Salvadoran mega-prison - CBS News

  The shackled men were forced to lower their heads and bodies as they were unloaded from buses and taken to El Salvador's mega prison, known as the Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT. Image 4: Media tour at CECOT prison in Tecoluca A Salvadoran soldier stands guard, as the CECOT logo is seen, during a media tour at the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) prison, in Tecoluca, El Salvador April 4, 2025. Jose Cabezas / REUTERS Andry Hernandez Romero was among them.

• Human Rights Watch declaration on prison conditions in El Salvador ...

  2. Individuals deported pursuant to the 1789 Alien Enemies Act have been sent to the Center for Terrorism Confinement, the Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT) in Tecoluca, El Salvador. The prison was first announced for a capacity of 20,000 detainees. The Salvadoran government later doubled its reported capacity, to 40,000. As Human Rights Watch explained to the UN Human Rights Committee in July 2024, the population size raises concerns that prison authorities will not be able to [...] 3. People held in CECOT, as well as in other prisons in El Salvador, are denied communication with their relatives and lawyers, and only appear before courts in online hearings, often in groups of several hundred detainees at the same time. The Salvadoran government has described people held in CECOT as “terrorists,” and has said that they “will never leave.” Human Rights Watch is not aware of any detainees who have been released from that prison. The government of El Salvador denies human [...] 1. While CECOT is likely to have more modern technology and infrastructure than other prisons in El Salvador, I understand the mistreatment of detainees there to be in large part similar to what Human Rights Watch has documented in other prisons in El Salvador, including Izalco, La Esperanza (Mariona) and Santa Ana prisons. This includes cases of torture, ill-treatment, incommunicado detention, severe violations of due process and inhumane conditions, such as lack of access to adequate

• What to know about the El Salvador mega-prison where Trump sent ...

  The US has sent hundreds of mostly Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador to be held without trial in a controversial mega-prison known for its harsh conditions. The facility has drawn praise from hardline law-and-order politicians at home and abroad and ire from human rights organizations. Here’s what we know about the mega-prison called Cecot, an acronym for Terrorism Confinement Centre in Spanish. What is the Cecot prison? ------------------------- [...] The prison has no outdoor recreational space and no family visits are allowed. Image 4: incarcerated stand and sit in a prisonView image in fullscreen Inmates at Cecot in 2023. Photograph: Marvin Recinos/AFP/Getty Images A report from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in September 2024 expressed concerns about overcrowding in the Cecot, citing a study that found inmates had an average 0.60 square metres (6.45 square feet) of space, below international standards. [...] Explainer What to know about the El Salvador mega-prison where Trump sent deported Venezuelans ==================================================================================== This article is more than 2 months old The US has sent hundreds of migrants to El Salvador to be held without trial in Cecot, a controversial prison known for its harsh conditions Reuters Wed 19 Mar 2025 23.45 EDT Last modified on Thu 17 Apr 2025 10.20 EDT Share

• Terrorism Confinement Center - Wikipedia

  The Terrorism Confinement Center facility covers 23 hectares (57 acres) and the Salvadoran government oversees the surrounding 140 hectares (350 acres) around the prison. It is located in the district of Tecoluca in a remote area of the San Vicente Department at the base of the San Vicente volcano "San Vicente (volcano)"). CECOT has the capacity for 40,000 inmates in eight cell blocks; cell space covers 6 acres (2.4 ha) for an average of 0.6 square metres (6.5 sq ft) of space per prisoner.( In [...] (abbreviated CECOT)—to house those arrested during the gang crackdown.( CECOT was built by three companies (OMNI, DISA, and Contratista General de América Latina, S.A. de C.V.)( and construction cost US$100 million.( By the time CECOT opened in January 2023, the Salvadoran government had arrested over 62,000 suspected gang members.( [...] The Associated Press' Marcos Alemán described CECOT as the "crown jewel" of the Salvadoran gang crackdown.( Español's María Santacecilia described CECOT as the "emblem of Bukele's iron fist" ("_emblema de la mano dura de Bukele_").( País_' Juan Diego Quesada referred to CECOT as "the Alcatraz of Central America".( CECOT has also been referred to as a "mega-prison".( described CECOT as "controversial" and as being "known for its harsh conditions."(