(MENAFN) El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele is set to expand the Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot), currently the largest prison in the world, to accommodate an influx of deportees from the United States, as reported by local media. During a recent meeting with US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Bukele revealed plans to increase the facility's capacity from its current 15,000 inmates to a staggering 80,000.

This expansion aligns with heightened collaboration with the Trump administration, which has sent back over 250 gang members, many of whom are of Venezuelan descent, to El Salvador. Reports indicate that the US government is providing El Salvador with $6 million to manage the incarceration of these individuals at Cecot.

Opened in 2023, the prison was initially designed to hold 40,000 inmates. In related news, Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen visited San Salvador this week to advocate for the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador.

MENAFN17042025000045017169ID1109441057