So, um, how does one describe the meeting between El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele and Secretary of State Marco Rubio?
I think successful is too light because…wow.
Bukele not only agreed to take back Salvadoran criminal illegal aliens but also those from any country…plus violent Americans:
Multiple agreements were struck to fight the waves of illegal mass migration currently destabilizing the entire region. President Bukele agreed to take back all Salvadoran MS-13 gang members who are in the United States unlawfully. He also promised to accept and incarcerate violent illegal immigrants, including members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang, but also criminal illegal migrants from any country. And in an extraordinary gesture never before extended by any country, President Bukele offered to house in his jails dangerous American criminals, including U.S. citizens and legal residents.Secretary Rubio and President Bukele concluded a civil nuclear cooperation MOU, which was signed by the Secretary and Salvadoran Foreign Minister Alexandra Hill Tinoco hours later.Secretary Rubio informed President Bukele that the United States will issue a waiver to unfreeze assistance to support the two countries’ joint work to detect suspicious travelers at El Salvador’s National Passenger Analysis Center (CNAP), resume operations at El Salvador’s Border Security Information Group (CGIF), and support El Salvador’s vetted units working with U.S. law enforcement.
It is illegal to deport U.S. citizens, so that part of the deal won’t happen. This made me laugh.
Foreign Minister Alexandra Hill Tinoco and Rubio also signed a Memorandum of Understanding Concerning Strategic Civil Nuclear Cooperation (NCMOU):
The United States and El Salvador have an enduring diplomatic relationship and long-standing cooperation in the fields of security, energy, and commerce. This NCMOU represents an initial step towards establishing a robust civil nuclear partnership between the United States and El Salvador with the aim of enhancing energy security, promoting mutual prosperity through expanded economic cooperation, and promoting the highest standards of nuclear safety, security, and nonproliferation.NCMOUs are important diplomatic tools developed during President Trump’s first term in office that lay the foundation for expanding strategic ties between the United States and its partners thereby making the United States safer, stronger, and more prosperous through the promotion of U.S. industry and workforce.
Nayib Bukele has helped rebuild El Salvador and make it safer. He has cracked down hard on crime.
Is he perfect? No. The tactics make me wince. However:
It was Bukele’s first interview with a foreign reporter in three years. The occasion was something of a victory lap. At 43, he has remade a nation that was once the world’s murder capital, turning it into a country safer than Canada, according to Salvadoran government data. Bukele’s policy of mano dura—iron fist—drove an aggressive crackdown on vicious gangs that has jailed 81,000 people and led to a precipitous drop in homicides. After decades of violence, fear, and extortion, citizens can move freely in former gang-controlled “red zones,” lounge in parks, and go out at night. El Salvador now markets itself as the “land of surf, volcanoes, and coffee,” hosts international events like the Miss Universe pageant, and draws tourists and cryptocurrency enthusiasts to coastal enclaves like “Bitcoin Beach.” The transformation helped Bukele cruise to re-election earlier this year; his approval rating these days tops 90% according to the latest CID Gallup poll. His picture adorns key chains, mugs, and T-shirts at souvenir stands; prominent portraits of him and his wife greet visitors at the airport. As we spoke, blue-and-gold banners festooned the streets of the capital, remnants of his second inauguration three weeks earlier.
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