U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Monday that El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele has agreed to accept deportees from the United States regardless of nationality, including violent American criminals currently imprisoned in the U.S.
Following a lengthy meeting at Bukele’s lakeside residence near San Salvador, Rubio described the agreement as “the most unprecedented, extraordinary migratory agreement anywhere in the world.” The arrangement, akin to a “safe third country” agreement, would allow El Salvador to take in foreign nationals arrested for violating U.S. immigration laws. Officials have suggested this could be used for Venezuelan gang members convicted in the U.S. if Venezuela refuses to accept them. However, Rubio said Bukele’s offer extended to detainees of any nationality.
Bukele went further, offering to accept and incarcerate U.S. citizens or legal residents convicted of violent crimes.
The State Department
After Rubio’s remarks, a U.S. official stated that the Trump administration currently has no plans to deport American citizens but acknowledged the significance of Bukele’s offer.
Rubio’s visit to El Salvador was part of an effort to push for stricter immigration enforcement in line with President Donald Trump’s demands. Bukele confirmed the offer on X, saying El Salvador was willing to “outsource part of its prison system” to the U.S. He emphasized that only “convicted criminals” would be accepted and that the country would charge a fee—affordable for the U.S. but substantial enough to sustain El Salvador’s prison system.
Following his meeting with Bukele, Rubio also signed a memorandum of understanding with El Salvador’s government to advance bilateral cooperation on civil nuclear energy. The agreement could pave the way for further collaboration in nuclear power and medicine, similar to U.S. partnerships with other nations.
