The United States and El Salvador made a deal about prisoners last month. The United States deports people accused of being in gangs without evidence and El Salvador agreed take custody of them at CECOT (Centro de Confiamiento del Terrorismo). Human rights activists are concerned about the people there due to harsh conditions.
The conditions are rough. It’s overcrowded beyond national standards. They must take turns standing and sitting. This is along with skin disease and scabies. There have been bruises from physical abuse too.
Prisoners have limited access to sanitation and have to take turns using the toilet. This causes health issues such as gastrointestinal illnesses, respiratory illnesses, and sexually transmitted diseases. Even sharing the sinks creates homes for bacteria which can cause serious infections.
The people are inside for at least twenty-three hours out of their day. They barely go outside since there’s a lack of an outdoor area. They don’t have rehabilitation areas either, which makes things more difficult.
There’s no outside communication with family. Therefore, they don’t know anything that’s happening to them from the United States. This makes it hard for the family to cope with their family member being in prison let alone another country. Even if the prisoner knows he’s innocent, he can’t communicate with his family to sort things out. So, the mental health in the prison isn’t properly cared for.
10k to 20k prisoners are thought to be in captivity at CECOT. The most recent arrivals are the 261 people the Trump Administration sent. 238 are accused of being from the Tren de Aragua gang from Venezuela and 23 from the MS-13 gang.
President Trump claimed the Tren de Aragua gang was invading the United States to justify his actions. He believes this system helps remove suspected gang members quickly. However, moving them too hastily is an issue too. Some innocent people have been deported and sent to CECOT unfairly.
Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia is a sheet metal worker and father-of-three. He was deported without a reason and sent to the terrible prison. Trump thought he was a gang member due to his finger tattoos– a cross, a skull, a smiley face and a marijuana leaf. This is incorrect since only tattoos don’t specify enrollment in the MS-13 gang. They’re still working on a way to try and free him.
Freeing Garcia is tricky. Trump sent him to El Salvador for breaking the United States’ laws. So, now Garcia is in El Salvador’s law and prison system. Even if he was acquitted here and has supporters trying to get him out, it’s difficult trying to save him from his fate.

Five million dollars. That’s how much money the United States was supposed to pay El Salvador to hold the deported individuals. However, El Salvador reports being paid less than five million dollars for their efforts. The United States has spoken about this, saying the payment may increase to fifteen million dollars.
The deal had several legal challenges. There was an argument that it didn’t follow the eighth amendment. A court order blocked the deportations at first, and there were concerns about human rights. Debates about the ethical ramifications are still being discussed due to the deal.
Therefore, Trump and Bukele shook hands and changed the world with their deal.