NEWS
NEWS

Bukele offers the US his megaprison in El Salvador for "criminal" immigrants and Americans

Updated

There is virtually no precedent in contemporary times for a democratic country to send its own citizens to foreign prisons, and any attempt to do so will likely be challenged in court

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with President Nayib Bukele.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with President Nayib Bukele.AP

Trump finds in the president of El Salvador an ally in his tough policies against crime and immigration. Nayib Bukele has offered to confine dangerous American and foreign "criminals" sent from the United States to his country's megaprison, announced Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as reported by Afp.

Bukele has decided to "accept the deportation of any illegal foreigner in the United States who is a criminal of any nationality," such as those from the MS-13 gang (from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala) and the Tren de Aragua from Venezuela, Rubio stated.

"He has offered to house in his prisons dangerous American criminals detained in our country, including those with US citizenship and legal residence," he added in statements to the press after meeting with Bukele.

There is virtually no precedent in contemporary times for a democratic country to send its own citizens to foreign prisons, and any attempt to do so will likely be challenged in US courts.

Rubio welcomed the proposal and said he was "deeply" grateful to Bukele, whose war against gangs has boosted his popularity in El Salvador and other countries, including among supporters of President Donald Trump in the United States.

"No country has ever made a friendship offer like this," emphasized the US Secretary of State, who said he had discussed the matter with Trump earlier.

Since his return to the White House on January 20, Trump has initiated mass deportation of migrants, attempted to end birthright citizenship, and announced plans to confine 30,000 immigrants at the US base in Guantánamo (Cuba).

Bukele is highly popular for his offensive against gangs, based on a state of emergency that, since 2022, has resulted in about 83,000 detainees, without judicial orders, many of whom are innocent, leading to criticism from human rights groups.

Emblematic of this anti-gang war, the Center for Terrorism Confinement (Cecot), considered the largest prison in Latin America, was inaugurated by Bukele two years ago on the outskirts of Tecoluca, 75 km southeast of San Salvador.

"We are willing to host only convicted criminals (including US citizens) in our megaprison (Cecot) in exchange for a fee," Bukele announced on the X social network.

"The fee would be relatively low for the United States but significant for us, which would make our entire prison system sustainable," he wrote in English.

The prison, surrounded by huge concrete walls, is designed for 40,000 detainees, but currently houses about 15,000 from the MS-13 and Barrio 18 gangs, which have terrorized the Salvadoran population for decades.

Wearing sunglasses, sneakers, and with the top button of his shirt undone, Bukele welcomed Rubio to his residence by Lake Coatepeque in western El Salvador.

In the presence of supporters on a boat, the Salvadoran president waved and told Rubio with a smile, switching briefly to English: "90% approval!".

It was during this meeting that Bukele told reporters he was close to reaching an agreement with the United States on migration that would go beyond one signed in 2019, in which El Salvador accepted migrants from third countries.

Bukele expressed eagerness to have strong relations with the Trump administration. The United States is "our biggest partner, with whom we must strengthen relations," he asserted.

In good relations with Bukele, the Trump administration has not yet touched the status protecting about 232,000 Salvadorans from deportation in the United States.

Ahead of Rubio's visit, Bukele praised Trump's efforts to dismantle the United States Agency for International Development (Usaid), indicating that it funds opposition groups, including NGOs.

As a sign of Bukele's alignment with the Republican magnate's government, at his inauguration a year ago, after winning reelection with 80% of the votes, Donald Trump Jr., the son of the US president, attended.

Rubio made El Salvador his second stop on his first trip as US Secretary of State, after visiting Panama, where he discussed Trump's warning that he will regain control of the Panama Canal because it is under "Chinese influence."

On Tuesday, he will visit Costa Rica, followed by Guatemala and the Dominican Republic before concluding his tour on Thursday.