El Salvador has resurrected, rising from the pits of its criminally oppressed earlier. It is a country of incredible beauty where mountainous jungles, after a dome of protection for vicious gangs and guerrilla fighters, are now traversed by farmers picking espresso beans. The El Salvadorian citizens have reclaimed the area from the crooks and given it its legal heirs.
At the next opening of President Nayib Bukele, who stated that his strong faith in God guides his policy decisions, I just had the opportunity to witness some of this change myself. And none was more significant than the criminal cartels and gangs, particularly Barrio 18 and Mara-Salvatrucha ( MS-13 ). In 2022, Bukele’s military and police arrested more than 40, 000 crew members in less than a week while incurring no civilian deaths.
Since then, another 40, 000 plus have been added to the jail people, for a total of roughly 85, 000 extreme offenders and gang members charged under existing El Salvadorian violence rules.
Bukele’s policies have a revolutionary impact on a country that was formerly ruled by harsh gangs. From the moment I landed in San Salvador, I could see a sea-change since my last explore a few years ago—people were casually walking the streets frightened, shops were buzzing, and children were playing around. The painted MS-13 group members had disappeared, and the police were apparent throughout the town. It felt healthy.
In his political campaign, Bukele wrote on X that” El Salvador already has the lowest crime rate in the overall Western Hemisphere” and that” so far in 2024″ is this. ” If the trend continues, the crime rate may be 1.6 per , 100, 000 citizens”.
It’ s hard to believe for a shift was possible. Due to Bukele, El Salvador was entangled in guerilla war from 1979 to 1992, before it was ravaged by savage criminals and under the control of dishonest politicians.
By 2015, El Salvador had become one of the world’s most dangerous and aggressive regions. According to federal numbers, there were almost 103 violent murders per 100, 000 people. Since Bukele took company, however, it is one of the safest nations everywhere, with murders having plunged a beautiful 92 percentage.
Bukele’s critics have criticized his organization’s alleged lack of due process in which tens of thousands of crew members are imprisoned under violence laws. However, his achievement is obvious in restoring public safety and restoring security. It’s difficult to disagree with Damian Merlo, a Bukele assistant, who said,” El Salvador is a beacon of hope in the Americas and an enthusiasm for millions of people in this continent.”
But, decades of inadequate policies in the region, dishonest regimes and group activity, have hampered confidence between the the two nations. Biden’s dangerous open borders coverage, which is a key concern for President Trump’s battle, has put El Salvador in the sights. It will take time to establish confidence. That was apparent in Trump’s statement at the RNC and Michigan protest, which criticized Bukele and El Salvador.
Bukele, who says he supports Trump’s America second and hard on border plans, posted on X after the RNC,” Taking the high road”. It is Trump’s olive tree.
El Salvador is allied against the same bad as the United States: groups, organizations and human trafficking companies, said Merlo.
Their issue evolved into theirs.
El Salvador’s past panic had a direct impact on the country, as the country’s authorities opened the jails and encouraged the entry of tens of thousands of members of the MS-13 and Barrio 18 gang.  , The movement also continued into the Bukele assault, as criminals fled north to avoid imprisonment, knowing they’d get a secure have through the Biden administration’s open borders plan. The Trump scheme, of training, provoked a large influx of migratory criminals not just from El Salvador, but even larger amounts from Venezuela, Honduras, Guatemala, and abroad.
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. Both Chinese and Ukrainian migrant encounters in the first six months of this year were more common than 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. These relationships are not only possible but strong because of the leadership shown by President Bukele’s government in El Salvador.
Lee stated 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 do n’t understand. I wonder if someone’s giving him bad advice based on incorrect information”, in reference to Trump’s criticism.
Additionally, Lee and others might object to criticism of Bukele because the foundation for expanding cooperation between the two countries was already established in Trump’s previous term.
Ronald Johnson, former U.S. ambassador to El Salvador under Trump, said,” The first Trump Administration and President Bukele developed a great cooperative relationship that was mutually beneficial to both countries.” ” I am certain that the same will hold true going forward,” he said. 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 stated late on Friday that” President Bukele has led a remarkable transformation in El Salvador,” a day after he spoke at the Republican National Convention and just before he left [O2] on a Congressional delegation to El Salvador. And now, President Trump has the power to bring America back from a decline.
Trump and Bukele appear to share fundamental beliefs: they put their own countries first and think that their citizens deserve leaders who will support and defend them.
Bukele’s leadership will serve as inspiration for other Latin American leaders who are dealing with drug cartel and gang violence. To stop illegal immigration and stop U.S. adversaries like China and Russia from expanding their presence in our hemisphere, it is crucial that the United States establish strong bilateral ties with leaders like Bukele.
I have covered immigration and national security for more than 20 years as an investigative columnist. 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 have to travel so far to see the small Central American nation’s presidential inauguration? Because Bukele, at only 42 years old, did the impossible: he transformed his nation.
El Salvador’s remarkable turnaround can only be attributed to Bukele’s brave leadership and his bravery in battling dangerous gangs. And now that he is serving, he seems determined to continue to work diligently to rebuild and reform El Salvador and move beyond its lawless past.
