Washington, Mar 20 : US court has temporarily halted the Trump administration’s decision to deport more than 200 alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador’s Cecot mega-prison, amid growing legal and human rights concerns.
On Monday, plaintiffs filed a lawsuit to block the deportations and urged a federal judge to demand officials testify under oath about whether they violated the court’s order.
Cecot, regarded as the largest prison in the Americas, can hold 40,000 inmates and has become a symbol of El Salvador’s aggressive crackdown on crime. The facility houses some of the country’s most notorious criminals, including mass murderers and gang leaders, described as the “worst of the worst.”
CNN’s David Culver and his team described the prison conditions as harsh, stating that inmates are confined for 23.5 hours a day in cells built to hold 80 people, with minimal furniture, open toilets, cement basins, and plastic buckets for washing. The prison’s current population is estimated between 10,000 and 20,000, and the recent 261 deportees include members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and MS-13.
El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has welcomed the deportees, as part of an agreement with the Trump administration, under which the US will provide $6 million to help maintain El Salvador’s prison system, which costs $200 million annually.
Human rights advocates and legal experts have raised concerns over the ethics of sending deportees to Cecot, citing reports of extreme conditions. A 2024 CNN report described Cecot’s deprivation as “deliberate,” with inmates allowed out of their cells for only 30 minutes a day, enduring 24/7 lighting, no privacy, and no family visits.
The report further described prison guards shaving inmates’ hair while shouting commands, with some inmates facing the possibility of never being released.
The legal battle over the deportations is ongoing.
