Central American Country Offers to House US Prisoners in New Deal

In a surprising diplomatic move, a Central American country has proposed to accommodate US prisoners, aiming to ease overcrowding in American prisons. Details of the offer and potential implications are still unfolding.

El Salvador’s President, Nayib Bukele, has suggested that the United States consider “outsourcing part of its prison system” by sending dangerous criminals to be incarcerated in his country’s notorious mega-jail for a fee. This expansive maximum-security facility was constructed as part of the government’s efforts to curb gang violence by detaining suspects.

According to reports, Bukele proposed the idea during a recent meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. During his first official trip abroad on Tuesday, Rubio visited the Central American nation and disclosed that proposal by expressing profound gratitude from the United States for Bukele’s offer.

“He has proposed to detain dangerous American criminals, including those with U.S. citizenship and legal residency, in our country’s jails,” Rubio informed reporters. He added that “no country has ever extended an offer of friendship like this.”

El Salvador has pledged its support for U.S. President Donald Trump’s initiative to reduce illegal migration by accepting deported migrants and “criminals of any nationality, whether they belong to MS-13 or Tren de Aragua,” according to Rubio. He highlighted these two significant transnational crime gangs active in Central and North America, with Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) being predominantly made up of Salvadorans and the other group consisting mostly of Venezuelans.

Bukele soon confirmed the offer, describing it as an opportunity for the U.S. to outsource a part of its prison system.

The president posted on X, stating that they are open to accepting only convicted criminals, including U.S. citizens, into their mega-prison (CECOT) for a fee. This fee would be modest by U.S. standards but substantial enough to render the entire prison system sustainable, and he shared photos of the infamous facility along with his message.

The mega-jail, formally referred to as the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), was inaugurated in early 2023 as part of Bukele’s initiative to combat organized crime in the country—a central promise of his initial presidential campaign that led to his election in 2019.

The maximum security facility, with a capacity for approximately 40,000 inmates, is the largest prison in Latin America and ranks among the biggest worldwide. As of June last year, it held around 14,500 inmates—about one-third of its total capacity.

According to reports, inmates at CECOT are kept in very cramped and harsh conditions. They experience continuous surveillance and are only permitted out of their cells for 30 minutes per day while shackled.

Bukele’s “iron fist” strategy against organized crime has faced frequent criticism from international advocacy groups, which have highlighted alleged human rights violations and various abuses such as arbitrary detention and mistreatment of inmates. Despite these criticisms, the Salvadorian president asserts that his approach has led to a substantial decrease in gang-related crime within the country.