Terrorism Confinement Center
The Terrorism Confinement Center (Spanish: Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo [CECOT], lit. 'Center for the Confinement of Terrorism') is a prison in Tecoluca, El Salvador. [1] The prison was built in late 2022, when a big operation to arrest gang members in the country. [2][3] The Salvadoran government opened the prison in late January 2023. It began transferring inmates the next month.
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| Location | Tecoluca, San Vicente, El Salvador |
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| Status | Operational |
| Security class | Maximum security prison |
| Capacity | 40,000 |
| Population | 14,532 (as of ) |
| Opened | 31 January 2023 |
| Managed by | Ministry of Justice and Public Security |
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 | This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in English. (June 2025) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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Terrorism Confinement Center Media
A map of the Terrorism Confinement Center's layout
Soldiers and police officers that staff the prison
Salvadoran justice minister Gustavo Villatoro and U.S. homeland security secretary Kristi Noem observing inmates inside a cell in CECOT, March 2025
U.S. senator Chris Van Hollen with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, one of the 261 people deported by the U.S. to El Salvador and incarcerated in CECOT in mid March 2025
Venezuelans released from CECOT returning to Venezuela
From left to right, Minister of Defense René Merino Monroy, Director of Penal Centers Osiris Luna Meza, President Nayib Bukele, Minister of Public Works Romeo Rodríguez, and Director of the National Civil Police Mauricio Arriaza Chicas touring CECOT in January 2023
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References
- ↑ "CECOT | Terrorism Confinement Prison, Mega-Prison, El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, Donald J. Trump, Human Rights, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2025-06-09. Retrieved 2025-06-27.
- ↑ Murray, Christine (5 April 2022). "El Salvador's Gang Crackdown Prompts Fears of Growing Authoritarianism". Financial Times. Mexico City, Mexico. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
- ↑ "El Salvador: Broad 'State of Emergency' Risks Abuse". Human Rights Watch. Washington, D.C., United States. 29 March 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2025.