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He announced this on the social network X, Ukrinform reports.
"We have offered the United States of America the opportunity to outsource part of its prison system. We are willing to accept only convicted criminals (including convicted US citizens) into our mega-prison in exchange for a fee," Bukele wrote.
He also added that this fee would be relatively small for the US, but significant for El Salvador.
We have offered the United States of America the opportunity to outsource part of its prison system.
We are willing to take in only convicted criminals (including convicted US citizens) into our mega-prison (CECOT) in exchange for a fee.
The fee would be relatively low for… pic.twitter.com/HTNwtp35Aq
- Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) February 4, 2025
Bloomberg notes that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is currently on a visit to Latin America, described the proposal as "unprecedented" but did not say whether the Trump administration would accept it — or whether it would even be legal in the case of US citizens.
Trump is currently trying to make deals with Latin American countries to accept people deported from the United States.
El Salvadoran officials told the agency in late 2023 that the huge prison "megacomplex" that Bukele mentioned was designed to house 40 prisoners.
At the time, only 12 people were imprisoned there, and parts of the facility were still under construction.
