El Salvador President Bukele dares Hillary Clinton to take entire CECOT prison population

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele hit back at former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, after she criticised the conditions at El Salvador's maximum security prison CECOT. She called the maximum security prisons “brutal” for their alleged torture and took a dig at Trump for their deportation without any evidence. She shared a documentary segment of PBS Frontline titled "Surviving CECOT", which features a Venezuelan man deported to prison and facing harsh conditions.

Responding to the criticism, he said that El Salvador will “cooperate fully” if they believe that torture was taking place in the prisons. Bukele challenged Hillary Clinton to take back all the prisoners, including the notorious gang members, with only one condition: "it must be everyone.” He further took a dig at the journalists and NGOs, saying that such a release will make available abundant material to find voices critical of the Salvadoran government.

“Until then, we will continue prioritising the human rights of the millions of Salvadorans who today live free from gang rule,” read the post by Nayib Bukele.

Allegations around ‘Brutal’ El Salvador CECOT prison

CECOT (Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo) is a large security prison built by the El Salvador government, with a capacity of 20,000- 40,000. This is the largest prison in Latin America. Human rights organisations have reported numerous abuses, ranging from sexual abuse to beatings. Amnesty called the situation "alarming", alleging overcrowding, solitary confinement, lack of medical care and systematic torture.

In February 2025, Trump struck a deal with Bukele's government to accept custody of individuals of any nationality in the "mega-prison" in exchange for $6 million, specifically for the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 gangs. However, things became controversial when a Maryland resident, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, was deported due to an administrative error.

Earlier this week, CBS's “60 Minutes” segment titled "Inside CECOT" was cancelled, just hours before its scheduled Sunday night broadcast.

"Earlier this year, the Trump administration deported hundreds of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador, a country most had no ties to, claiming they were terrorists. This move sparked an ongoing legal battle, and nine months later, the U.S. government still has not released the names of all those deported and placed in CECOT, one of El Salvador’s harshest prisons," read a press release of the segment.

The segment was supposed to feature Sharyn Alfonsi interviewing some of the released Venezuelan migrants deported to the prison. The producer cancelled the episode but did not provide any explanation.