US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a groundbreaking agreement with El Salvador, where President Nayib Bukele has agreed to accept deportees from the US, including American citizens convicted of violent crimes. This unprecedented move raises concerns among human rights activists but signifies a significant shift in US immigration policy.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a significant development in immigration policy during his visit to El Salvador on Monday. He revealed that President Nayib Bukele has agreed to accept deportees from the United States of any nationality, including violent American criminals currently incarcerated in US prisons.
Rubio, who met with Bukele at his lakeside residence outside San Salvador, characterized the agreement as 'the most unprecedented, extraordinary, extraordinary migratory agreement anywhere in the world.' He stated that El Salvador would be willing to house and detain migrants of all nationalities held in US custody, as well as American citizens and legal residents convicted of violent crimes. Bukele confirmed the offer on X, stating that El Salvador has 'offered the United States of America the opportunity to outsource part of its prison system.' He emphasized that his country would accept only 'convicted criminals' and would charge a fee to the US government, ensuring the sustainability of El Salvador's entire prison system. While a US official clarified that the Trump administration has no immediate plans to deport American citizens due to legal complexities, they acknowledged the significance of Bukele's offer. Rubio's visit to El Salvador coincided with a US-funded deportation flight carrying 43 migrants from Panama to Colombia. He had previously issued a warning to Panama regarding the need to reduce China's presence at the Panama Canal. However, migration remained the central focus of Rubio's five-nation Central American tour, which also includes stops in Costa Rica, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic. The agreement Rubio described with El Salvador, accepting foreign nationals arrested in the US for violating immigration laws, is known as a 'safe third country' agreement. Human rights activists have expressed concerns about El Salvador's record in handling asylum seekers and refugees, warning that the agreement may not be limited to violent criminals. Manuel Flores, the secretary general of the leftist opposition party Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front, criticized the 'safe third country' plan, characterizing it as a strategy to treat the region as 'Washington's backyard to dump the garbage.' Despite these concerns, Rubio and Bukele signed a memorandum of understanding to advance US-El Salvador civil nuclear cooperation. This agreement could pave the way for a formal cooperation deal on nuclear power and medicine, similar to those the US has with other countries.
EL SALVADOR DEPORTATIONS IMMIGRATION MARCO RUBIO NAYIB BUKELEY US FOREIGN POLICY CENTRAL AMERICA
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