El Salvador has proposed housing US criminals and deported migrants in its massive maximum-security prison, offering to take in convicted individuals, including those with US citizenship, in exchange for a fee. The offer was announced after a meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele.
Bukele, known for his tough stance on crime, described the proposal as an opportunity for the US to “outsource part of its prison system.” Rubio praised the offer, calling it an “unprecedented act of friendship” and confirming that El Salvador would accept dangerous criminals from any nationality, including gang members from MS-13 and Tren de Aragua.
Bukele later reiterated on social media that only convicted criminals would be accepted into the country’s Terrorist Confinement Centre (CECOT), a newly built mega-prison that can hold up to 40,000 inmates. He emphasized that while the fee charged to the US would be relatively low, it would help sustain the country’s prison system.
Since taking office in 2019, Bukele has prioritized crime reduction, implementing a harsh crackdown on gang violence. His government has heavily promoted the Cecot prison, releasing footage of inmates—many tattooed and shaven-headed—being forced to march through the facility in strict formation. While the prison has been praised by many Salvadorans for restoring security, human rights groups have criticized the conditions, calling them inhumane and warning of wrongful arrests under Bukele’s emergency measures.
The US, under President Donald Trump, has been ramping up deportations as part of a broader immigration crackdown. Rubio’s visit to El Salvador was part of his first international tour as Secretary of State, with stops in Panama, Costa Rica, and Guatemala to discuss migration and counter China’s influence in the region.