El Salvador’s high-security prison becomes a global reference point for anti-terrorism and public safety strategies. Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves has officially announced that his administration is seeking funding to construct a prison facility inspired by El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), a high-security complex internationally recognized for its role in combating organized crime.

The confirmation came through President Chaves’s official channels, where he acknowledged that El Salvador’s CECOT has become a model of effective security infrastructure. “We are working on securing the financial resources needed to move forward with this project,” Chaves stated, highlighting the influence of El Salvador’s tough-on-crime policies across the region.

El Salvador’s CECOT, inaugurated under the leadership of President Nayib Bukele, was designed to house the country’s most dangerous gang members as part of a broader strategy to restore public safety. The facility is equipped with maximum-security measures and advanced surveillance systems, and it plays a central role in Bukele’s territorial control plan—credited with drastically reducing violence in the country.

The decision by Costa Rica to replicate this model underscores the growing regional interest in El Salvador’s approach to security, which is increasingly seen as a blueprint by other Latin American nations facing similar challenges.

As international observers continue to debate the balance between human rights and public order, more governments are looking to CECOT as a symbol of sovereign-led solutions to organized crime.