Spanish Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Alvise Pérez praised the security transformations led by President Nayib Bukele during an interview on Pulso Ciudadano this evening. Pérez emphasized that, after walking the streets and speaking directly with Salvadorans, he witnessed the country’s dramatic changes in public safety.
The European legislator invited his colleagues in Brussels to visit El Salvador and experience the nation’s reality firsthand. “Criticizing what we think or don’t think about El Salvador, according to the media, does not seem to me the way to carry out the work of political representation. I ask my European colleagues to examine the reality of this country,” Pérez stated.
During his visit, Pérez toured the Center for Confinement of Terrorism (CECOT), El Salvador’s maximum-security prison, where he expressed surprise at the high level of organization and control. “I found that the system of organization is such that it leaves no room for even an assault inside the prison. I’ve never seen that before, and I invite my European colleagues to come and see it,” he remarked.
Pérez also underscored President Bukele’s pragmatic approach to El Salvador’s challenges. “President Bukele understood that a Swiss legal framework cannot be applied to resolve the problems faced by El Salvador,” he explained. He further highlighted that regional cooperation could strengthen security and attract investment. “President Bukele has understood that a union of Latin American countries can generate balance, guaranteed security, and significant financing and investment capacity.”
With his remarks, Pérez called on European institutions to reconsider narratives shaped by external media and instead evaluate El Salvador’s progress based on direct observation of its security advances.