What we know about CECOT, the brutal mega-prison at the heart of the recent 60 Minutes controversy

World 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. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas(Jose Cabezas/Reuters) Prison guards stand outside holding cells during a media tour of the Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, in Tecoluca, El Salvador, in February 2023.(Salvador Melendez/The Associated Press) U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a tour of CECOT on March 26.(Getty Images) What we know about CECOT, the brutal mega-prison at the heart of the recent 60 Minutes controversy Prison where Trump admin has sent hundreds without trial has no visitation, recreation, education The Terrorism Confinement Centre , known by its Spanish acronym CECOT, is the Salvadoran mega-prison at the centre of a recent controversy at CBS's news flagship 60 Minutes . A segment about the prison that took a critical look at the Trump administration's deportation policies was pulled hours before it was set to air , angering CBS employees and raising questions about U.S. government influence over the news division. But the prison complex was controversial long before 60 Minutes got involved, and even before the U.S. had sent hundreds of mostly Venezuelan migrants there without trial. What is CECOT? And why does a prison in El Salvador's countryside frequently described as "notorious" have anything to do with the U.S.? Here's a closer look. Centrepiece of a crackdown by the 'coolest dictator' Opened in February 2023 as the centrepiece of President Nayib Bukele's crackdown on gangs, the prison is believed to be the largest in the Americas. The 23-hectare complex is about 70 kilometres east of the capital, San Salvador, and can hold 40,000 inmates. The facility, which cost $115 million US, is part of Bukele's highly popular hardline security policy , which has resulted in a sharp drop in homicides. Calling himself the world's "coolest dictator," Bukele, 44, declared a state of emergency in March 2022 that saw tens of thousands arrested, including alleged gang members. What's it like inside? The complex includes eight large pavilions, each with cells that house up to 70 prisoners, the SAIS Review of International Affairs at Johns Hopkins University said in an analysis earlier this year. It prioritizes security and isolation over rehabilitation. Cells are windowless and bunks are bare and metal. Each cell has two sinks and two toilets with no privacy. Cameras and guards are everywhere. A report from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in September last year expressed concerns about overcrowding in CECOT, citing a study that found inmates had an average 0.6 square metres of space, below international standards, which vary from three to six metres of space. Images from the facility - often slickly produced photo and video - show prisoners packed tightly together with their heads shaved and wearing only shorts. The prison has no outdoor recreational space and no family visits are allowed. The dining halls, break rooms, gym and board games are for the guards. In...

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