El Salvador has proposed to Trump the idea of housing U.S. inmates in its prisons.
He announced this on social media platform X, as reported by Ukrinform.
“We have proposed to the United States of America the possibility of outsourcing part of its prison system. We are prepared to accept only convicted criminals (including convicted U.S. citizens) into our mega-prison in exchange for a fee,” wrote Bukele.
He also mentioned that this fee would be relatively modest for the U.S., but significant for El Salvador.
We have offered the United States of America the opportunity to outsource part of its prison system.
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) February 4, 2025
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
Bloomberg notes that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is currently on a visit to Latin America, described this proposal as “unprecedented,” but did not indicate whether the Trump administration would accept it—or if it would even be legal concerning U.S. citizens.
Currently, Trump is attempting to negotiate agreements with Latin American countries to accept individuals deported from the U.S.
Salvadoran officials informed the agency at the end of 2023 that the enormous prison “megacomplex” mentioned by Bukele is designed to accommodate 40,000 inmates.
At that time, only 12,000 people were incarcerated there, and parts of the facility were still under construction.
As reported by Ukrinform, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed satisfaction with Venezuela's stance in agreeing to accept its citizens who are being deported from the United States.