Shackled and in handcuffs, more than 200 alleged members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang were deported from the United States and transferred to El Salvador’s maximum-security Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT) in a highly coordinated operation.
Footage shared by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele showed detainees being escorted from a plane into a heavily guarded convoy before being taken to the prison. The facility, known for its extreme security measures, is central to Bukele’s crackdown on organized crime.
The deported individuals, described by U.S. officials as violent gang members, were sent to El Salvador following an agreement between Bukele and U.S. authorities. Along with Tren de Aragua members, the transfer included two top leaders of MS-13 and 21 of its most wanted fugitives.
CECOT, considered one of the world’s most secure prisons, holds more than 13,000 inmates under strict confinement. Prisoners spend 23.5 hours per day in overcrowded cells, with surveillance measures preventing any outside communication.
The deportations followed an executive order by President Donald Trump, invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to classify Tren de Aragua as a hostile force. The administration cited links between the gang and the Venezuelan government, labeling its members a security threat to the United States.
A federal judge issued a temporary halt to further deportations under the order, but the first transfer had already taken place. Trump’s directive remains under legal challenge from civil rights groups.
While officials praised the deportations as a step toward combating transnational crime, human rights groups have condemned the conditions at CECOT. The prison, built to hold 40,000 inmates, operates under a strict regime, with detainees subjected to limited legal access and harsh living conditions.
Bukele defended his government’s approach, stating that El Salvador is committed to eliminating gang violence. The Biden administration has not confirmed whether it will continue enforcing Trump’s deportation order.
