El Salvador offers to jail Americans, Rubio says
SAN SALVADOR

El Salvador's leader has offered to jail Americans so President Donald Trump can outsource the U.S. prison system, an extraordinary step that was hailed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
There is virtually no precedent in contemporary times for a democratic country to send its own citizens to foreign jails, and any attempt to do so is sure to be challenged in U.S. courts.
But Rubio welcomed an offer to do just that by President Nayib Bukele, whose sweeping crackdown on crime has won him soaring popularity at home and hero status for many in President Donald Trump's orbit.
"He has offered to house in his jails dangerous American criminals in custody in our country, including those with U.S. citizenship and legal residency," Rubio told reporters in San Salvador.
"No country's ever made an offer of friendship such as this," Rubio said.
"We are profoundly grateful. I spoke to President Trump about this earlier today," he said.
Bukele said that El Salvador would ask for payment and was ready to incarcerate Americans in a prison he opened a year ago that is Latin America's largest.
"We have offered the United States of America the opportunity to outsource part of its prison system," Bukele wrote on X after Rubio's statement.
"The fee would be relatively low for the U.S. but significant for us, making our entire prison system sustainable."
Rubio said that Bukele was also willing to take back Salvadoran citizens and nationals of other countries.
Rubio appeared to suggest the focus in El Salvador would be on jailing members of Latin American gangs, such as El Salvador's MS-13 and Venezuela's Tren de Aragua.