About

El Salvador CECOT Satellite Images refers to discussions and conspiracy theories about the Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT) detention facility in El Salvador. In 2025, several men were deported from the United States to El Salvador under suspicion of engaging in crime and gang-related activity. Around April 10th, 2025, satellite images of a yard within CECOT as seen in Google Maps and Google Earth at the coordinates 13°32'1"N 88°48'18"W began making the rounds online. The images prompted some internet users to question if the yard was stained with blood or showed other evidence of detainees being killed or maimed.

Origin

​In 2025, El Salvador's Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) came under intense scrutiny for severe human rights violations. Reports from Human Rights Watch^[1] and Amnesty International^[2] highlight inhumane conditions, including overcrowding, torture, a lack of medical care, and the denial of due process. The Trump administration's use of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport individuals without hearings has exacerbated concerns that CECOT's practices violate international human rights standards.

In April 2025, the Supreme Court ordered that deportee Kilmar Ábrego García, a Salvadoran immigrant who was living in Maryland and has had a work permit since 2019, be returned to the United States. However, the Trump administration has not facilitated his return.^[3]

In April 2025, several internet users began sharing a Google Maps and Google Earth^[7] satellite image showing a yard within the CECOT facility. The rectangular yard appeared to be stained red in some portions and seemed to contain an indistinguishable mass that some internet users asserted were human bodies. The date attributed to the image is March 20th, 2024.

On April 9th, 2025, Redditor /u/1Rab posted a Google Earth satellite image of a yard within the CECOT facility to the subreddit^[4] /r/GoogleEarthFinds, writing, "What might this part of the El Salvadorean prison be?" The post gathered over 300 upvotes in a week.

The image was also posted to the subreddit^[5] /r/50501 by Redditor /u/serious_bullet5, who wrote, "The El Salvador Deportation Prison looks…" The post gathered over 3,000 upvotes in a week.

Spread

On April 11th, X^[6] user @SethAbramson tweeted the image of the CECOT yard as seen on Google Earth, writing, "(📢) I just confirmed myself this satellite image (1:48PM ET 4/11/25) of one of the yards at CECOT. I have no idea what this is, but those saying it is bodies and blood certainly are not getting that idea entirely out of nowhere. It may well be." The post gathered over 1,000 likes in five days.

On April 12th, TikToker^[8] @kave.kayla made a post about the Google Earth image of CECOT and the theories surrounding it. The post gathered over 20,000 plays and 1,000 likes in four days. X^[9] user @Vanessid reposted the video to Twitter / X on April 14th, gathering over 1 million views and 23,000 likes in two days.

On April 15th, X^[10] user @YourAnonCentral reposted the Google Earth image without comment, gathering over 36,000 likes in a day. Several other Twitter users quoted the post to react to the image, including X^[11] user @suchnerve, who wrote, "i keep seeing this pic and i REALLY hope it’s not what it looks like," gathering over 5,000 likes in a day.

Also on April 15th, X^[12] user @DreamLeaf5 quoted the post, writing, "Is that really a pile of dead people??"

Search Interest

Unavailable.

External References