The Donald Trump administration's controversial decision to move more than 200 alleged Venezuelan gang members to the notorious El Salvador prison, has come under keen scrutiny by the US courts, especially after a federal judge temporarily barred the deportations.
On Monday, plaintiffs filed a lawsuit to halt the deportations and asked a federal judge to force officials to explain under oath whether they violated his court order.
Trump's move brought heightened attention to El Salvador's Cecot mega-prison, where many of the deported individuals are being sent.
All about El Salvador's Cecot mega-prison
Considered the largest prison in the Americas, Cecot can hold 40,000 inmates and has long been a symbol of El Salvador’s aggressive crackdown on domestic crime.
The facility houses some of the country’s most notorious criminals, including mass murderers and gang members described as the “worst of the worst.”
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In a recent visit, CNN’s David Culver and his team described cells “built to hold 80 or so inmates” where men are held for 23.5 hours a day and “the only furniture is tiered metal bunks, with no sheets, pillows or mattresses, an open toilet, a cement basin and plastic bucket for washing and a large jug for drinking water.”
{{/usCountry}}In a recent visit, CNN’s David Culver and his team described cells “built to hold 80 or so inmates” where men are held for 23.5 hours a day and “the only furniture is tiered metal bunks, with no sheets, pillows or mattresses, an open toilet, a cement basin and plastic bucket for washing and a large jug for drinking water.”
{{/usCountry}}Currently, it is estimated that between 10,000 and 20,000 prisoners are housed in Cecot, and the deportations of 261 individuals, mostly members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and the infamous MS-13, mark the latest arrivals.
As per CNN, Nayib Bukele, El Salvador’s president has welcomed the new detainees, offering to house the US deportees in Cecot as part of a larger agreement with the Trump administration in exchange for which the US will pay $6 million to assist in maintaining El Salvador’s prison system, which costs the country $200 million annually.
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The situation has sparked criticism on multiple fronts. Legal experts and human rights advocates are questioning the ethics of sending individuals to such dire conditions, especially given the ongoing legal battles over their deportation.
The report further went on to describe the deplorable condition of the prison saying that the inmates were then forced to kneel while prison guards shaved their hair and shouted commands.
A 2024 report by CNN on the Cecot mega prison described the deprivation as “deliberate,” adding that the inmates were allowed out of their crowded cells for just 30 minutes a day. There was no privacy, no trace of comfort and the lights were on 24/7, the report stated.
Inmates are not allowed visits from family or friends and some of them must face the possibility that they will never be released, it further said.