SAN SALVADOR, Feb 4 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced during a visit to El Salvador on Monday that President Nayib Bukele has offered to house deported criminals from the U.S. in El Salvador's CECOT mega-prison.
The offer, described by Rubio as "concrete," could potentially involve receiving members of Venezuela's notorious gang, Tren de Aragua.
Bukele has indicated a readiness to accept American inmates, although U.S. citizens cannot be legally deported from the United States.
The mega-prison, which has garnered praise from hardline law-and-order politicians but criticism from human rights groups, has been a focal point in Bukele's security strategy to address gang violence in El Salvador. Incarcerating numerous alleged gang members has resulted in a significant decrease in homicides.
Aside from his controversial security efforts, Bukele made headlines by endorsing Bitcoin as legal currency alongside the U.S. dollar in 2021, a first for any country.
In February 2023, Salvadoran authorities unveiled Latin America's largest prison, the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), a 57-acre facility located in a remote area 70 km (43.5 miles) east of San Salvador. The prison, designed to hold up to 40,000 inmates, primarily targets members of criminal gangs such as Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18.
CECOT has attracted both praise and criticism globally. While some, like Argentine Security Minister Patricia Bullrich, have commended its tough stance on crime, numerous human rights organizations have denounced the facility and Bukele's security tactics.
Recent reports, including one from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) in September 2024, have raised concerns about overcrowding in the prison, highlighting a significant inmate population density far beyond international standards.
According to data, El Salvador currently has the highest per capita prison population rate worldwide, with 1,659 inmates per 100,000 residents.