unilad homepage
unilad homepage
    • News
      • UK News
      • US News
      • World News
      • Crime
      • Health
      • Money
      • Sport
      • Travel
    • Music
    • Technology
    • Film and TV
      • News
      • DC Comics
      • Disney
      • Marvel
      • Netflix
    • Celebrity
    • Politics
    • Advertise
    • Terms
    • Privacy & Cookies
    • LADbible Group
    • LADbible
    • SPORTbible
    • GAMINGbible
    • Tyla
    • UNILAD Tech
    • FOODbible
    • License Our Content
    • About Us & Contact
    • Jobs
    • Latest
    • Archive
    • Topics A-Z
    • Authors
    Facebook
    Instagram
    X
    Threads
    TikTok
    YouTube
    Submit Your Content
    Footage shows detained migrants spelling out chilling signal with their bodies in fear of going to 'world's worst prison'

    Home> News> Crime

    Published 18:41 1 May 2025 GMT+1

    Footage shows detained migrants spelling out chilling signal with their bodies in fear of going to 'world's worst prison'

    The footage was captured by Reuters journalists

    Callum Jones

    Callum Jones

    google discoverFollow us on Google Discover
    Featured Image Credit: Handout/Getty

    Topics: El Salvador, Crime, US News

    Callum Jones
    Callum Jones

    Advert

    Advert

    Advert

    Chilling footage showing detained migrants spelling out a signal with their bodies in fear of going to a notorious El Salvador prison has gone viral.

    Over 250 alleged criminals have been deported to the Center for Terrorism Confinement (CECOT), which has been a part of President Trump's plan to enact mass deportations using a law last invoked during World War II.

    This mega-jail spans 410 acres and can house up to 40,000 inmates, making it one of the largest in the world by prisoner capacity, as per government figures.

    The facility consists of eight sprawling blocks divided into modules, with the AFP reporting inmates must stay with 65 to 70 others in their cells for up to 23-and-a-half hours a day.

    Advert

    The prisoners been dubbed the 'world's worst' (Alex Pena/Anadolu via Getty Images)
    The prisoners been dubbed the 'world's worst' (Alex Pena/Anadolu via Getty Images)

    These crammed up cells consist of an open toilet, a cement basin and tiered metal bunks, forcing those incarcerated to sit on top of one another.

    Those who are housed in CECOT are not believed to be allowed outside, and are instead permitted to exercise for 30 minutes a day inside the prison’s hallways.

    The New York Post states that the building also features wide dining halls, break rooms, a gym, and board games that can only be utilised by the 2,000 guards working at the maximum security facility.

    So, you can see why inmates don't want to stay there. And detainees at the Bluebonnet immigrant detention center in the Anson, Texas, sent a chilling message to the prospect of being deported to El Salvador.

    Reuters news agency decided to fly a drone over the facility, which led to 31 men forming the letters 'SOS' on the grounds.

    The migrants want to avoid the El Salvador prison (Alex Pena/Anadolu via Getty Images)
    The migrants want to avoid the El Salvador prison (Alex Pena/Anadolu via Getty Images)

    The outlet reports that dozens of Venezuelan detainees being held in the prison were told by immigration officers that they face deportation due to them allegedly being members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

    Families of seven detainees claimed to Reuters they have not been a part of the gang.

    Jeferson Escalona, 19, who is being housed in the facility and was snapped by the drone spoke to Reuters in a phone call directly from Bluebonnet.

    "They're making false accusations about me," he told the news agency. "I don't belong to any gang.

    "I fear for my life here. I want to go to Venezuela."

    A spokesperson for Management and Training Corporation, who run the facility, said: "All detainees housed at Bluebonnet receive meals based on a menu that has been approved by a certified dietitian, ensuring the recommended daily caloric intake is met."

    • Major update on man deported to 'world's worst prison' due to 'Trump admin error'
    • Man deported to 'world's worst prison' due to 'Trump admin error' returns to US to face criminal charges
    • US soldier faces 60 years prison time after $400,000 Polymarket bets on Maduro removal
    • New footage shows what it was like inside Jeffrey Epstein's prison cell

    Choose your content:

    an hour ago
    3 hours ago
    • Getty Stock
      an hour ago

      Strict rules on swingers' cruise that everyone has to follow

      While it may be a spicy cruise, there are a number of rules passengers must follow

      News
    • Getty Stock Image
      3 hours ago

      Spirit Airlines collapses as flights grounded and operations shut down

      The airline has been running for over three decades

      News
    • Courtesy of Lavinia Osbourne
      3 hours ago

      Twins born within minutes of each other discover that they're only half-sisters

      The twins discovered the truth after taking a DNA test to find out who their father was

      News
    • (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
      3 hours ago

      Artemis II astronauts share what they ate minutes after landing back on Earth

      The Artemis II crew experienced the deepest space communication blackout

      News