El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has made headlines by welcoming a unique group of deportees: criminals from the United States. Last weekend, planes carrying 261 illegal aliens, deported under the Trump administration, landed in El Salvador. These individuals are being sent to the country’s high-security prisons, which Bukele has built to hold thousands of gang members captured during his presidency.
This arrangement is quite unusual. Typically, countries do not seek to import criminals. However, Bukele is taking a business-minded approach. He views the prison system as a way to generate income. The deal is simple: the U.S. sends criminal illegal aliens to El Salvador’s Terrorism Containment Center, also known as CECOT, where they will be housed, fed, and guarded. In return, the U.S. government pays El Salvador $20,000 per inmate each year. This cost is about half of what it would be to keep these inmates in American prisons, providing significant savings for the U.S. Meanwhile, this payment is a boon for El Salvador, where the GDP per capita is less than $6,000. It allows Bukele to turn a profit while addressing the financial strain of maintaining the prison system.
The first group of deportees alone is expected to bring in over $5 million annually for El Salvador. This income will help offset the country’s $200 million yearly expenditure on its prison system, which accounts for more than 3% of the national budget. By accepting American prisoners, Bukele hopes to ease the financial burden on the government and redirect funds toward development and investment in other areas.
Beyond the financial aspect, Bukele’s strategy also seeks to strengthen ties with the Trump administration. He is gaining favor by assisting with efforts to combat illegal immigration and crime, which are key issues for the U.S. government. Bukele’s approach not only positions him as a valuable ally but may also lead to increased security cooperation and private investment in El Salvador.
However, there are risks involved in this arrangement. Legal challenges could arise regarding the deportations, and Trump’s unpredictable nature could shift the dynamics at any moment. Moreover, bringing in dangerous criminals from the U.S. could upset the stability of El Salvador’s prison system, which Bukele has worked hard to build.
Despite these challenges, Bukele has shown himself to be a capable leader. His confidence in the prison system suggests he believes he can make this unconventional approach work. If successful, he may not only profit from the prison system but also improve the overall safety and prosperity of El Salvador.