El Salvador Offers To House American Criminals In Its Prisons

El Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele on Monday night offered to incarcerate the illegal aliens in the U.S. in his country for a “relatively low” fee.

Bukele made the offer in a post on X while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited his country as part of an extended trip throughout Latin America to shore up support for tackling illegal immigration.

“We have offered the United States of America the opportunity to outsource part of its prison system,” said Bukele.

“We are willing to take in only convicted criminals (including convicted U.S. citizens) into our mega-prison (CECOT) in exchange for a fee,” he continued.

He added, “The fee would be relatively low for the U.S. but significant for us, making our entire prison system sustainable.”

We have offered the United States of America the opportunity to outsource part of its prison system.

We are willing to take in only convicted criminals (including convicted U.S. citizens) into our mega-prison (CECOT) in exchange for a fee.

The fee would be relatively low for… pic.twitter.com/HTNwtp35Aq

— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) February 4, 2025

Rubio’s office said the meeting was “tremendously successful” and resulted in multiple agreements that “will make both countries stronger, safer, and more prosperous.”

“President Bukele agreed to take back all Salvadoran MS-13 gang members who are in the United States unlawfully,” Rubio wrote. “He also promised to accept and incarcerate violent illegal immigrants, including members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang, but also criminal illegal migrants from any country. And in an extraordinary gesture never before extended by any country, President Bukele offered to house in his jails dangerous American criminals, including U.S. citizens and legal residents.”

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement: “Secretary Rubio and President Bukele concluded a civil nuclear cooperation MOU, which was signed by the Secretary and Salvadoran Foreign Minister Alexandra Hill Tinoco hours later. Secretary Rubio informed President Bukele that the United States will issue a waiver to unfreeze assistance to support the two countries’ joint work to detect suspicious travelers at El Salvador’s National Passenger Analysis Center (CNAP), resume operations at El Salvador’s Border Security Information Group (CGIF), and support El Salvador’s vetted units working with U.S. law enforcement.”

Rubio also discussed strategies to counter Chinese Communist Party influence in the hemisphere.