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Latin Times
Latin Times
Politics
Maria Villarroel

Families Of Venezuelan Deportees Deny Gang Ties Fearing For Their Fate At El Salvador's Infamous Mega-Prison

Guards escort inmates allegedly linked to criminal organizations at CECOT on March 16, 2025 in Tecoluca, El Salvador. (Credit: Salvadoran Government via Getty Images)

The Trump administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act over the weekend, allowing for the swift deportation of hundreds of Venezuelan migrants to an infamous prison in El Salvador.

The Center for Terrorism Confinement (CECOT), built under Salvadorean President Nayib Bukele's, is considered the largest prison in the Americas— with a capacity of 40,000 inmates— and has been a symbol of the country's crackdown on domestic crime. CECOT prisoners do not receive visits and are never allowed outdoors. The prison does not offer workshops or educational programs to prepare them to return to society after their sentences.

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