El Salvador Offers to House U.S. Prisoners in Mega-Prison for a Fee
President Nayib Bukele proposes transferring convicted U.S. criminals, including citizens, to El Salvador’s high-security prison as part of a unique international agreement.
- El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele has offered to house convicted U.S. criminals, including U.S. citizens, in the country's mega-prison in exchange for a fee.
- The proposal was discussed during a meeting between Bukele and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who called it an unprecedented gesture of cooperation.
- The mega-prison, Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (Cecot), was built to combat gang violence and can hold up to 40,000 inmates.
- While the U.S. State Department acknowledges the offer, it has previously criticized El Salvador's prison conditions as harsh and overcrowded.
- This proposal aligns with Bukele's tough-on-crime policies, which have significantly reduced El Salvador's murder rate but drawn criticism from human rights groups for alleged abuses.
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