Senator Tom Cotton from the state of Arkansas recently visited El Salvador to discuss security issues with President Nayib Bukele and other key figures. His observations underscored a significant improvement in safety, with children playing in the streets until late at night and families no longer falling victim to extortion.
During his visit, Senator Cotton commended President Bukele’s security policies, citing them as instrumental in transforming El Salvador into the safest country in the region.
«El Salvador used to be one of the most dangerous places in the world. Now, President Bukele’s policies have turned it into one of the safest in the region. It’s proof that taking crime seriously is the only way to stop violence,» remarked Cotton, a member of the Republican Party.
Senator Cotton made these statements during an interview with Fox News. He emphasized that El Salvador’s turnaround in the past two years has been remarkable. He noted how previously, the country was comparable in danger to nations in the midst of wars.
«A couple of years ago, President Bukele and his legislature declared a state of emergency, the police took strong measures, there were large-scale raids on gangs like MS. During my visit, what I saw there was remarkable,» stated the senator.
He elaborated, «There were young children playing soccer in the afternoon, women jogging during twilight, things that simply could not have happened two years ago.»
Moreover, Cotton highlighted the newfound tranquility and economic prosperity in the country, as families are no longer coerced into paying extortion fees.
«Just a few years ago, people couldn’t leave their homes; they had to pay extortion money. Gangs would approach a 12-year-old and say, ‘we’ll take him to join us or we’ll kill him, and we’ll take one of your 12-year-old girls for prostitution, otherwise, we’ll kill your whole family.’ Now, they can live a normal life, they don’t have to pay extortion, they can go out at night, run their businesses, and enjoy things like economic growth and education,» he asserted.
Senator Cotton also visited the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), a mega prison built by the government to incarcerate all captured gang members during the state of emergency. He became the first U.S. official to enter CECOT.