El Salvador agrees to accept US deportees of any nationality following meeting with Rubio
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El Salvador Offers to House US Criminals
Above: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (L) meets with El Salvador Pres. Nayib Bukele on Feb. 3, 2025. Image copyright: Mark Schiefelbein/Contributor/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
The Spin
Republican narrative
This is a groundbreaking solution to America's immigration challenges, helping Pres. Donald Trump fulfill his promise to rid the US of dangerous criminals, and do it in a cost-effective manner. Bukele has transformed El Salvador into one of the region's safest countries and now he can help the US be safer as well.
Democratic narrative
The proposal is likely unconstitutional and raises several issues related to international law. El Salvador's prisons are known for their human rights abuses, including mental and physical torture, and it's unthinkable that the US would send anyone to them in agreement with an authoritarian regime.