The leader of El Salvador also clarified that he has “offered the United States of America the opportunity to outsource part of its prison system.”

However, he emphasized that his country would “only be willing to take in convicted criminals” and that his government would do so “in exchange for a fee.”

Leire Venta, a correspondent for BBC News Mundo, visited the prison last year and shared her observations.

“It is the middle of the night, but in here, the artificial lights are never turned off,” she described.

A faint breeze drifts through the lattice ceiling, offering a fleeting relief from the oppressive heat. Inside the cells, temperatures can soar to 35°C during the day, with no other means of ventilation.

Above, hooded guards stand watch, weapons at the ready.

Below, prisoners clamber onto the towering, four-level bunks where they sleep. With no mattresses or bedding, they are forced to rest on cold, bare metal.

They eat whatever is provided—rice, beans, hard-boiled eggs, or pasta—using only their hands.

The center’s director told her: “Here are the psychopaths, the terrorists, the murderers who had our country in mourning.

“Don’t look them in the eyes. Any utensil can be [fashioned into] a deadly weapon.”