The centerpiece of President Nayib Bukele's self-declared war on crime, the first 2,000 suspected gang members in El Salvador have been transferred to a massive new prison.
Due to an increase in homicides and other violent crimes, tens of thousands of suspected gang members have been apprehended throughout the nation.
Over 40,000 people will eventually be housed in the prison.
Pictures depict the entrance of the first large group of tattooed and barefoot inmates.
Before being taken to their cells, the prisoners are left stacked closely together, sitting on the floor with their hands behind their shaved heads.
The Center for the Confinement of Terrorism, according to President Bukele, is the biggest jail in the Americas, and he tweeted that the first 2,000 inmates were transferred there "at dawn, in a single operation.".
"This will be their new home, where they will reside for many years in a mixed population without being able to cause any more harm to the populace. ".
The eight-building mega-prison is located in Tecoluca, 74 kilometers (46 miles) southeast of San Salvador, the country's capital. Each has 32 cells that are each 100 square meters (1,075 square feet) in size and can house "more than 100" inmates, according to the government.
There are only two sinks and two toilets per cell.
President Bukele declared a "war on gangs" in March of last year, enacting emergency measures that have since been repeated.
Since the emergency measures restrict some constitutional rights, such as enabling the security forces to detain suspects without a warrant, they have drawn criticism.
In the anti-crime campaign, more than 64,000 suspects have been detained.
Human rights organizations have argued that the policy has affected innocent people, but Salvadorans continue to support Bukele's anti-gang campaign.
