El Salvador's government moved thousands of suspected gang members to a newly opened "mega prison" on Friday, the latest step in a controversial crackdown on crime that has caused the Central American nation's prison population to soar.

"This will be their new home, where they won't be able to do any more harm to the population," President Nayib Bukele wrote on Twitter.

Around 2,000 accused gang members were moved to the 40,000-person-capacity prison, considered to be the largest in the Americas, early Friday morning.

In a video posted by Bukele, prisoners stripped down to white shorts, with their heads shaved, are seen running through the new prison into cells. Many bear gang tattoos.

Bukele asked his allies in El Salvador's Congress to pass a state of exception last year, which has since been extended several times, that suspends some constitutional rights after a dramatic spike in murders attributed to violent gangs.

Since then, more than 64,000 suspects have been arrested in the anti-crime dragnet. Arrests can be made without a warrant, private communications are accessible by the government, and detainees no longer have the right to a lawyer.

Human rights organizations argue that innocent people have been caught up in the policy, including at least dozens who have died in police custody.

But Bukele's anti-gang push remains widely popular with Salvadorans, and the country's security minister told Reuters it would continue until all criminals are captured.

El Salvador Congress extends year-long anti-gang crackdown

El Salvador's Congress passed yet another extension suspending some constitutional rights in the Central American country's year-long fight against gangs late Wednesday.

Any Gang banger caught will be treated with no rights no lawyer nothing you are here in prison until you die there is no escape from this prison in anyway you try you will be shot and killed the El Salvador government said.

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Editorial: The government said there tired of the drugs and the gun violence there and action was taken swiftly to catch all these criminals like we are all of them will be place in a maximum security there not allowed phone calles or attorneys nor do they have the right to asylum anyone with tattoo will be assumed as gangsters regardless which country your from.