Secretary of State Marco Rubio said late on Monday that El Salvador has offered to house criminals who are American citizens and those being deported from the U.S. who are citizens of other nations.
Rubio shared that the offer was made from Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, and that it was the “most unprecedented and extraordinary migratory agreement anywhere in the world.”
Rubio met with leaders in El Salvador as he continues to travel through Central America and the Caribbean to strengthen alliances and build support for President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda.
“He has offered to house in his jails dangerous American criminals in custody in our country, including those of U.S. citizenship and legal residents,” Rubio said Monday, according to the State Department readout. “No country’s ever made an offer of friendship such as this.”
The State Department also noted that El Salvador will keep accepting Salvadorans who are living in the U.S. illegally and are being deported. The country has also said it will continue to accept members of international criminal gangs like MS-13 or Tren de Aragua.
“And he’s also offered to do the same for dangerous criminals currently in custody and serving their sentences in the United States, even if they’re U.S. citizens or legal residents,” Rubio said.
Bukele shared his thoughts on the situation on social media, confirming what Rubio said and calling his offer a chance for the US 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,” Bukele wrote on X. “The fee would be relatively low for the U.S. but significant for us, making our entire prison system sustainable.”
While Rubio praised the offer from Bukele, the US government does not have the authority to deport American citizens, and having them serve jail time in another country would likely result in legal challenges.
The State Department also characterizes El Salvador’s prisons as “harsh and dangerous.”