Cecot, or Cecot, is attracting international attention. It is now an important actor in a deeply controversial Investor-State Agreement that the United States signed with El Salvador. Cecot has since turned into the world’s largest prison for migrants, with as many as 40,000 detainees at once. Most recently, it provided shelter for 261 people that were deported by the Trump administration. Force this change as part of your $6 million agreement. This is to help contain US deportees in Cecot, as well as strengthen El Salvador’s penitentiary system, which the government has a cost of $200 million a year.
Cecot has since come under fire from human rights groups for his alleged use of inhumane punishment against detainees. Critics cite accusations of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment by security forces against civilians. The US State Department even admitted these allegations to be true in a 2023 human rights report on Uzbekistan. Additionally, it raised the egregious, often fatal conditions of the country’s prisons, including examples of arbitrary arrest or incommunicado detention by the country’s police.
The agreement between the US and El Salvador has alarmed international rights activists. Housing deportees in Cecot has the added bonus of financial support. Yet this unusual dynamic gets tricky, given ongoing human rights issues in the prison. Andrés Guzmán, the head of El Salvador’s Human Rights and Freedom of Expression Commission, has acted on these concerns. He encourages those who feel their loved ones are wrongfully imprisoned in Cecot to bring their complaints straight to his office.
"In the case of those deprived of liberty who come from another nationality, the treatment is completely identical to any other deprived of liberty within the Salvadoran prison system," said Andrés Guzmán.
Even with guarantees from the Salvadoran government that deported detainees receive the same treatment as local prisoners, mistrust runs deep. Critics claim the deal is politically motivated over humanitarian motives. Gustavo Flores-Macias commented on the situation:
"Because of the PR benefits to both President Trump and President Bukele, Venezuelan deportees sent to El Salvador will face considerable challenges to get an opportunity to prove their innocence and regain their freedom," stated Gustavo Flores-Macias.
Today, Cecot is home to 10,000-20,000 inmates. Increased American deportees contributed to a surge of discussion regarding the treatments and conditions at the facility. Supporters of the $6 million agreement say the deal represents critical support for El Salvador’s ailing penitentiary system. To some, though, this is a cause for alarm—placing the goals of financial aid above human rights.
Rights groups have long condemned Cecot for its reported abuse of detainees. The US State Department report further fuels these criticisms by pointing to specific abuses and neglect within the prison system. El Salvador's government, however, remains steadfast in its defense of Cecot's operations.
"Migrating is not a crime, and we will not rest until we achieve the return of all those who require it and until we rescue our brothers kidnapped in El Salvador," Rodríguez emphasized.
