A debate over crime, human rights and state power is unfolding in Central America after Honduran officials questioned whether El Salvador’s hardline anti-gang strategy can be replicated abroad.
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele sharply criticized Honduras’ newly appointed Security Minister, Gerson Velásquez, after the Honduran official suggested that El Salvador’s anti-gang strategy cannot be automatically replicated elsewhere and emphasized the importance of protecting the human rights of criminal suspects.
In a post on X, Bukele responded forcefully. “Listening to the new Security Minister of Honduras defend the ‘human rights’ of criminals is truly sad,” he wrote. “Thousands of Hondurans will die because of these people.” He added that citizens in Honduras expect decisive action against organized crime.
The exchange highlights contrasting approaches to a shared regional challenge. Honduras continues to struggle with entrenched gang structures such as Mara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18, groups that operate across Central America and in parts of the United States. The country currently records a homicide rate of 23 per 100,000 inhabitants, among the highest in the region.
El Salvador, by contrast, has reported a dramatic drop in violence since Bukele declared a “war” on gangs in March 2022 under a state of emergency that expanded police and military powers. According to government figures, the country closed 2025 with a homicide rate of 1.3 per 100,000 inhabitants, the lowest since official records began.
Velásquez has argued that El Salvador’s model reflects specific political and institutional conditions, noting that Bukele holds broad control over state institutions, enabling sweeping reforms that critics say may conflict with international human rights standards.
For U.S. observers, the dispute underscores a deeper regional tension: how to dismantle powerful transnational gangs while balancing civil liberties. As Honduras’ new president, Nasry Asfura, begins his four-year term pledging to reduce extortion and restore public security, the contrast with El Salvador’s hardline approach is likely to remain at the center of Central America’s security debate.