El Salvador Presents Proposal To Transfer US Criminals To Terrorism Confinement Center

A proposal was presented by El Salvador to the United States Feb. 3 to transport U.S. criminals and detained migrants to the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) located in Tecoluca, El Salvador, according to a report by the Associated Press.  

The idea has faced some controversy according to Time, with President Donald Trump and other U.S. officials supporting the idea, while human activists have expressed the harsh living conditions and the legality of transporting U.S. citizens to this “bare-bones setting” as problematic.  

CECOT living conditions deny prisoners time outside and visiting opportunities. Inmates are served one meal a day, and are not offered any educational or reintegration services. Each cell is estimated to hold around 80-150 prisoners, with eight pavilions holding 40,000 people total, according to the BBC. 

“The prison’s dining halls, break rooms, gym and board games are for guards only,” Time reported. “Administration officials have said inmates will never return to their communities.”  

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele Feb. 3 to discuss the deal. Since the beginning of Bukele’s administration, over 80,000 arrests have been made in an attempt to lower gang-related crime in the country. Although Bukele has experienced wide-spread support over the mass arrests, he has also faced backlash by some who say their loved ones were wrongfully convicted in mass police round-ups, according to a report by the BBC.  

“There are obviously legalities involved,” Rubio said, according to NBC News. “We have a Constitution, we have all sorts of things, but it’s a very generous offer.”  

Although a fairly insignificant amount, the undisclosed fee that would be paid by the United States would be enough to sustain El Salvador’s entire prison system, according to the AP.  

Hagen is a news reporter for the Liberty Champion.