Kristi Noem, from El Salvador's mega-prison: "If you come to our country illegally, this is one of the consequences you could face"
The Secretary of Homeland Security visited the Salvadoran prison where the Administration sent hundreds of deportees and discussed with President Nayib Bukele how to increase the number of deportation flights to the Latin American country.
Kristi Noem at Cecot
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem kicked off her Latin American tour with a stop at the maximum-security prison in Tecoluca, El Salvador, where more than 200 illegal immigrants deported by the Trump administration are being held.
Noem toured the Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot), a prison inaugurated last year by President Nayib Bukele as part of his crusade against gangs. The center has become an emblem of the administration of the millennial president, who won re-election by touting the reduction in insecurity during his first term.
Thousands of inmates were transferred from other prisons in the Central American country to the Cecot, which has a capacity of 40,000 detainees. In March, Washington dispatched 238 Venezuelans there who, despite questions, are said to be part of the Tren de Aragua, a criminal organization included by the Administration on the list of terrorist organizations.
Noem and his Salvadoran counterpart Gustavo Villatoro.
During her tour of the facilities, Noem thanked Bukele for the agreement "to bring our terrorists here." She also addressed those considering crossing the U.S. border illegally: "If you come to our country illegally, this is one of the consequences you may face."
"First and foremost, do not come to our country illegally," she emphasized in a video shared on her social media. "You will be expelled and processed." But to those who enter and commit crimes, she added: "Know that this center is one of the tools we will use."
After leaving the prison, considered the largest in Latin America, the Security Secretary met with the Salvadoran President at the Government House, where she had anticipated that they would discuss how to increase the number of deportation flights.
She then signed an agreement with the Minister of Justice and Public Security of El Salvador, Gustavo Villatoro, who explained that it would serve to promote a "more streamlined exchange of information and criminal records on fugitives, so that these criminals are not inadvertently released or remain unnoticed in the communities."
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