El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has proposed an unprecedented plan to accept convicted criminals deported from the United States, including U.S. citizens, in exchange for a fee that he claims would help sustain his country’s prison system.
Bukele made the offer Monday on social media, stating, “We have offered the United States of America the opportunity to outsource part of its prison system.” He added that the cost to the U.S. would be “relatively low” but would significantly benefit El Salvador’s correctional facilities.
The proposal was met with praise from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who called it “an act of extraordinary friendship.” Rubio, who met with Bukele as part of his first foreign trip in the role, confirmed that he had briefed President Donald Trump on the plan.
Under the proposed arrangement, El Salvador would take in undocumented migrants convicted of crimes and deported from the U.S., as well as other foreign nationals with criminal records. Bukele even suggested that his country could accept U.S. citizens and legal residents currently serving prison sentences in America—a move that would likely face significant legal and constitutional barriers.
Legal experts have raised questions about the feasibility of deporting American citizens, as it would violate protections against forced exile. However, the proposal aligns with the Trump administration’s broader push to tighten immigration policies and expand international cooperation on crime control.
El Salvador has taken an aggressive stance on crime under Bukele’s leadership, with his government overseeing mass arrests of suspected gang members and criminals. The country’s Terrorism Confinement Center, a high-security prison designed to hold 40,000 inmates, would be the likely destination for deported convicts under the proposed plan. Human rights organizations, however, have criticized conditions in Salvadoran prisons, citing overcrowding and reports of abuse by guards.
Bukele’s offer echoes a 2019 agreement between El Salvador and the U.S. under the Trump administration, in which El Salvador agreed to receive non-Salvadoran asylum seekers from the U.S. as a “safe third country.” That agreement was never implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Bukele described his new proposal as “more important and of a much broader scope.”
While the specifics of the plan remain unclear, Bukele’s offer signals a deepening alliance between his administration and the Trump White House. The proposal also underscores the Salvadoran leader’s willingness to align his policies with U.S. interests on issues of immigration, crime, and security.
As the Biden administration previously sought to distance itself from Bukele due to concerns over human rights and democratic backsliding, this new partnership under Trump’s leadership could mark a significant shift in U.S.-El Salvador relations.
