Bukele Offers His Megaprison for U.S. Inmates, Both Migrants and U.S. Citizens
In a deal described as “unprecedented,” Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele agreed to accept undocumented migrants detained for serious crimes in the United States into his megaprison and even opened the door to housing U.S. citizens convicted of crimes.
“No country has ever made an offer of friendship like this,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the press after meeting with Bukele, who is now seen as the Trump administration’s key regional ally.
The Megaprison at the Disposal of the U.S.
One of the main goals was to discuss with Bukele the possibility of reaching an agreement, similar to one during Trump’s first term (2017-2021), to designate El Salvador as a Safe Third Country, allowing the U.S. to deport migrants of other nationalities, such as Venezuelans, there.
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele received Rubio at his spectacular lakeside residence overlooking Lake Coatepeque in western El Salvador, a clear sign of friendship and that the talks were progressing well.
After the meeting, Rubio announced that El Salvador would accept the deportation of undocumented migrants of any nationality convicted of serious crimes, citing as examples alleged members of the MS-13 gang or Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua.
In an unprecedented move, Bukele even offered to house dangerous U.S. inmates in his prisons, including both citizens and legal residents of the United States.
An Unprecedented Migration Agreement
Rubio called it an “unprecedented migration agreement and the most extraordinary of any in the world.”
For his part, Bukele explained that the deal involves accepting “only convicted criminals,” including U.S. citizens, into his country’s maximum-security prison, the Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot), where gang members are serving sentences.
According to the Salvadoran president, this is a form of “prison outsourcing,” as the U.S. would pay a fee to make “the penitentiary system sustainable.”
Hours earlier, Bukele and Rubio stepped onto a balcony to take in the lake views from the president’s residence, where, when asked by the press, Bukele hinted that an “unprecedented” agreement was in the works.
“It’s a much bigger agreement with no precedent in the history of relations—not just between the U.S. and El Salvador, but I think with all of Latin America,” he added.
Bukele, the Trump Administration’s Key Ally
Bukele, along with Argentine President Javier Milei, is one of the Latin American leaders most aligned with Donald Trump. In fact, he was the first regional president Trump called after being inaugurated.
The Trump administration sees Bukele’s security strategy as a model, having drastically reduced crime in El Salvador through tough police and military measures criticized by human rights organizations.
The previous Biden administration had criticized Bukele for seeking reelection despite constitutional prohibitions, though relations later eased.
Bukele said he has never hidden his “sympathy” for Trump, and when someone on the lake cheered for him, he laughed and said, “I have an 80% approval rating.”
The rapport and relaxed atmosphere displayed today were far greater than what was seen Sunday during Rubio’s meeting with Panamanian President José Raúl Mulino.
Trump Open to Sending U.S. Citizens Convicted of Crimes to Other Countries
“If we had the legal right to do it, I would do it without hesitation,” Trump told reporters at the White House.
Trump argued that transferring migrants and U.S. citizens convicted of serious crimes to other countries and their megaprison would be “much less costly” for the U.S. than keeping them in its own prisons and would serve as a “major deterrent” to prevent further crimes.
Some organizations, including experts from the Brennan Center for Justice, have questioned the legality of sending U.S. citizens abroad, as they are protected by due process guarantees under the U.S. Constitution, unlike migrants.
