In a groundbreaking proposal, President Nayib Bukele shared part of the agreements made with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, offering the United States the opportunity to outsource part of its prison system to El Salvador.
As part of this offer, El Salvador is willing to accept convicted criminals, including U.S. citizens, into its state-of-the-art mega-prison, the Center for Confinement of Terrorism (CECOT), in exchange for a fee. This arrangement would provide a cost-effective solution for the U.S. while also helping El Salvador make its prison system sustainable.
The proposed fee would be relatively low for the United States but significant for El Salvador, potentially transforming the country’s entire correctional system. This innovative proposal marks a new chapter in U.S.-El Salvador relations, as both nations explore new ways to collaborate on security and criminal justice.