El Salvador has resurrected, rising from the pits of its criminally oppressed earlier. The rocky forests that were once a canopy for violent rebel soldiers and gangs are now traversed by farmers picking espresso beans. It is a country of incredible charm. The El Salvadorian people 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 prosecution of organized crime, 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 human casualties.
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.
For a country that was once ruled by violent criminals, Bukele’s policies have had a transformational impact. 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 whole Western Hemisphere” and that” so far in 2024″ is this. ” If the trend continues, the crime level would be 1.6 per , 100, 000 citizens”.
It’ s hard to believe for a change was feasible. Due to Bukele, El Salvador was entangled in guerilla war from 1979 to 1992, before it was ravaged by savage groups 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 has some critics, who criticized his organization’s alleged lack of due process for incarcerating tens of thousands of crew members under violence regulations. However, his victory in restoring public safety and restoring security is apparent. It’s difficult to disagree with Bukele’s consultant, Damian Merlo, who said,” El Salvador is a beacon of hope in the Americas and an inspiration to millions of people in this hemispheres.”
But, decades of inadequate policies in the region, unreliable 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 respect. Trump’s statement at the RNC and Michigan march, which criticized Bukele and El Salvador, demonstrated this.
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 earlier hostility had a direct impact on the country, as El Salvadorian regulators opened the jails and encouraged the entry of tens of thousands of members of the MS-13 and Barrio 18 group.  , 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 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. Both Chinese and Ukrainian migrant encounters in 2023 and 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 of 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 Bukele’s criticism because Trump’s previous administration provided the foundation for growing cooperation between the two countries.
Ronald Johnson, the former U.S. ambassador to El Salvador under Trump, said,” The first Trump Administration and President Bukele developed a fantastic cooperative relationship that was beneficial to both countries.” ” I’m 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,” just before he left for the Republican National Convention. And now that President Trump has come to rescue America from the brink.
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 crises of drug cartels 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’ve 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 travel so far to see a small Central American nation’s presidential inauguration? Because Bukele, at only 42 years old, did the impossible: he transformed his nation.
Bukele’s brave leadership and courage in confronting dangerous gangs are the only attributes of El Salvador’s remarkable turnaround. 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.
