DHS Secretary Noem visits El Salvador, tours largest prison

• Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited El Salvador on Wednesday. There, she met with the U.S. ambassador and toured Latin America’s largest prison, which is currently housing alleged Venezuelan gang members deported by the Trump administration.
• Human rights groups have raised concerns about overcrowding and poor conditions at CECOT.
• Meanwhile, an appeals court upheld a federal judge’s decision temporarily blocking the Trump administration’s deportations of suspected TdA members.

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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem arrived in El Salvador on Wednesday, March 26. There, she met with the U.S. ambassador to the country and toured Latin America’s largest prison. Noem got a first-hand look at the crowded cells and some of the equipment housed inside the facility.

The Terrorist Confinement Center, also known as CECOT, is a high-security prison that houses alleged Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang members and MS-13 gang members deported by the Trump administration.

“First of all, do not come to our country illegally. You will be removed, and you will be prosecuted,” Noem said. “But know that this facility is one of the tools in our toolkit that we will use if you commit crimes against the American people.”

At CECOT, prisoners are packed into their cells and never allowed outside, according to the Associated Press.

A declaration by Human Rights Watch states that the prison is meant to hold 20,000 prisoners. However, in recent years, that number has doubled as El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele prioritizes gang crime.

Human rights advocates are concerned about the treatment of inmates as well as the lack of healthcare and food they are receiving. Likewise, in a 2023 U.S. State Department report, treatment and punishment at the site were described as “cruel, inhuman, or degrading.” The report also highlighted “harsh and life-threatening prison conditions.”

President Donald Trump, invoking the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, deported alleged TdA members to El Salvador earlier this month. However, some of the families of those who were deported dispute their gang affiliations, while others have no criminal history in the U.S. or Venezuela.

A federal judge temporarily blocked the deportations, and on Wednesday, March 26, a three-judge panel for the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 to uphold the block.

The Trump administration is expected to appeal the panel’s decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.