El Salvador has been reborn, emerging from the ashes of its crime ridden past. It is a nation of extraordinary beauty where mountainous jungles, which were once a canopy of shelter for vicious guerilla fighters and gangs, are now traversed by farmers picking coffee beans. The land has been reclaimed from the criminals and returned to its rightful heirs: the El Salvadorian people.
Recently, I was fortunate to see some of this transformation myself at the second inauguration of President Nayib Bukele, who told me his deep faith in God guides his policy decisions. And none was more significant than targeting the criminal cartels and gangs, particularly Mara-Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18. In 2022, Bukele’s military and police arrested more than 40,000 gang members in less than a week while incurring no civilian casualties.
Since then, another 40,000 plus have been added to the prison population, for a total of roughly 85,000 hardcore criminals and gang members charged under existing El Salvadorian terrorism laws.
Bukele’s policies are transformative for a nation previously dominated by violent gangs. From the moment I landed in San Salvador, I could see a sea-change since my last visit a few years ago—people were casually walking the streets unafraid, cafes were bustling, and children were playing outside. The tattooed MS-13 gang members had disappeared, and the police were evident throughout the city. It felt safe.
“So far in 2024, El Salvador already has the lowest homicide rate in the entire Western Hemisphere,” Bukele posted on X during his presidential bid. “If the trend continues, the homicide rate would be 1.6 per 100,000 inhabitants.”
It ‘s hard to believe such a change was possible. Prior to Bukele, El Salvador was mired in guerilla warfare from 1979 to 1992, and then was convulsed by bloodthirsty gangs and ruled by corrupt politicians.
By 2015, El Salvador had become one of the world’s most dangerous and violent nations. According to government figures, there were roughly 103 violent homicides per 100,000 people. Since Bukele took office, however, it is one of the safest nations anywhere, with homicides having plunged a stunning 92 percent.
Bukele has his detractors, who criticized his operation to incarcerate tens of thousands of gang members under terrorism laws, allegedly without due process. But his success in reinstituting security and reviving public life is undeniable. It’s hard to argue with Damian Merlo, an advisor to Bukele, who told me, “El Salvador is a beacon of hope in the Americas and an inspiration for millions of citizens in this hemisphere.”
However, decades of ineffective policies in the region, untrustworthy regimes and gang activity, have hampered trust between the the two nations. Biden’s destructive open border policy, which is a central issue for President Trump’s campaign, has put El Salvador in the crosshairs. It will take time to build trust. That was evident during Trump’s speech at the RNC and Michigan rally, which was critical of El Salvador and Bukele.
Bukele, who says he supports Trump’s America first and tough on border policies, posted on X after the RNC, “Taking the high road.” It is an olive branch to Trump.
El Salvador is allied against the same evil as the United States: gangs, cartels and human trafficking organizations, said Merlo.
Their Crisis Became Ours
El Salvador’s previous chaos directly affected the United States, as El Salvadorian authorities opened the prisons and encouraged tens of thousands of MS-13 and Barrio 18 gang members to pour into the United States. The flow even continued into the Bukele crackdown, as criminals fled north to avoid arrest, knowing they’d find a safe have through the Biden administration’s open border policy. The Biden policy, of course, provoked a massive influx of migrant criminals not just from El Salvador, but even larger numbers from Venezuela, Honduras, Guatemala, and elsewhere.
Overall, however, since Bukele came into office in 2019, the number of illegal migrants from El Salvador has steadily dropped, now accounting for just 2.5 percent of migrant encounters at our border—a lower figure than for any other Central American nation. These numbers also fall far below Venezuela, Cuba, Colombia, Ecuador, and Haiti. In 2023 and during the first six months of this year, both Chinese and Ukrainian migrant encounters exceeded Salvadorans.
If Donald Trump regains the U.S. presidency, as appears increasingly likely, his administration should welcome partners like Bukele who can help us secure our border.
“Securing our borders and maintaining a robust, hard-power defense of U.S. core interests in the Western Hemisphere must be our top national-security priorities,” said Senator Mike Lee. “Cultivating strong bilateral relationships with nations aligned with our interests—like El Salvador—is an essential part of the equation. The leadership shown by President Bukele’s government in El Salvador makes those relationships not only possible, but strong.”
Lee posted on X Sunday, “El Salvador is safe from violent gangs under the leadership of Bukele.” The Senator responded to a follower in another post, saying “I don’t understand. I wonder if someone’s giving him bad advice based on incorrect information,” in reference to Trump’s criticism.
Moreover, there are reasons why Lee and others would question the criticism of Bukele, because the basis for growing cooperation between the two nations was already established in Trump’s previous term.
“The first Trump Administration and President Bukele developed a great cooperative relationship that was mutually beneficial to both nations,” said Ronald Johnson, former U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador under Trump. “I am certain that the same will be true going forward.” He added that “gangs, criminals, cartels, illegal drugs, and human traffickers all rely on borders and lack of international cooperation to escape interdiction, arrests and prosecution. President Bukele’s actions have created a model for other nations to follow and as a result, I expect that international cooperation will expand, not contract.”
Building on those positive changes in El Salvador is what’s important, say U.S. lawmakers.
Congressman Matt Gaetz told me late Friday, a day after he spoke at the Republican National Convention and just before departing [O2] on a Congressional delegation to El Salvador, that “President Bukele has led a remarkable transformation in El Salvador. And President Trump will now rescue America from decline.”
Trump and Bukele, it seems, have similar fundamental outlooks—they put their own nations first and believe their citizens deserve leaders who will serve and protect them.
Hopefully other Latin American leaders facing crises of drug cartels and gang violence will take inspiration from Bukele’s leadership. It’s essential that the U.S. build strong bilateral ties with leaders like Bukele not only to stem illegal migration but to stop U.S. adversaries like China and Russia from expanding their presence in our hemisphere.
As an investigative columnist I have been covering national security and immigration for more than twenty years. I’ve never, in all that time, met a foreign leader quite like Bukele. His rising stature was reflected in the range of dignitaries who attended his recent inauguration, including Senator Lee, Congressman Gaetz, former Ambassador Johnson, Donald Trump Jr. and his fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle, Argentinian President Javier Milei, Spain’s King Felipe VI, and numerous other world leaders. Why did they travel so far to attend the presidential inauguration of a small Central American country? Because Bukele, at only 42 years old, did the impossible: he transformed his nation.
El Salvador’s extraordinary turnaround can only be attributed to Bukele’s decisive leadership and his courage in facing down dangerous gangs. And in his second term he seems determined to continue transcending El Salvador’s lawless past and working diligently to rebuild and reform his nation.
