El Salvador President Nayib Bukele’s efforts against MS-13 gang members have helped reduce the number of illegal immigrants entering the United States.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the country once known for high murder rates now has the greatest incarceration rate.
When discussing allegations of prisoner mistreatment, Bukele said that the prisoners will “have human rights. But the human rights of honest people are more important.”
Bukele’s crackdown resulted in a decrease in Salvadorians illegally crossing the U.S. southern border by 44%.
Because of Bukele’s success, other Latin American countries are considering similar crackdowns.
Cynthia Viteria, a politician from Ecuador, implored the government to “do what Bukele’s doing.”
“The solutions are out there, for those who have the guts to implement them,” Viteria added.
Reporting from The National Interest:
After an unprecedented spike in gang-related homicides, El Salvador instituted a state of exception to address the violence. The crackdown increases the time someone can be detained without charge from three to fifteen days, restricted bail and other alternatives to pre-trial detention, and strengthened police powers. Even critics acknowledge the moves have popular support and have dramatically reduced violence. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticized the crackdown because it "lends itself to attempts to censor the media, prevent reporting on corruption and other matters of public interest, and silence critics of the Salvadoran government." The United Nations Commissioner on Human Rights called it a violation of human rights law, focusing on the fact that "the previous two-year limit to pre-trial detention has been eliminated." International media has put the spotlight on these criticisms with heavy coverage for an otherwise obscure country of six million.
