I'm not sure what kind of magic Secretary of State Marco Rubio is making down in Central America this week, but someone ought to bottle it up and sell it. On Sunday, he convinced Panama to cut ties with China. Then, late Monday evening, after his visit with El Salvador's president, Nayib Bukele, he announced that he and Bukele made "the most unprecedented, extraordinary, extraordinary migratory agreement anywhere in the world."
Not only did Bukele agree to take back "Salvadoran MS-13 gang members who are in the United States unlawfully," but 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," according to U.S. Department of State spokesperson Tammy Bruce.
On top of all that, Bukele made an "extraordinary gesture never before extended by any country" — he "offered to house in his jails dangerous American criminals, including U.S. citizens and legal residents." (I'm not sure that's legal or would ever happen, but it was a nice gesture.)
Just last week, Latin American countries were refusing to accept deportation flights containing their own national citizens, and now they're begging us to send them any criminals we want. Okay, I know I'm over-simplifying that a bit, but seriously, it's just nice to see the world putting some respect on our name again after four years of being the laughingstock with a bumbling old man at the wheel.
Related: Marco Rubio Just Took Over USAID. Things Are About to Get Really Interesting!
Rubio met with Bukele at his home in Lake Coatepeque on Monday. By all accounts, the meeting was extremely positive and helped build an even stronger alliance between the United States and El Salvador. On X, Bukele posted the following, along with several videos and photos from the meeting:
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 U.S. citizens) into our mega-prison (CECOT) in exchange for a fee. The fee would be relatively low for the U.S. but significant for us, making our entire prison system sustainable.
🇸🇻🤝🏼🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/IBHielgYvI
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) February 3, 2025
In addition to discussing illegal immigration with the president, Rubio and Foreign Minister Alexandra Hill Tinoco "signed a Memorandum of Understanding Concerning Strategic Civil Nuclear Cooperation (NCMOU) with the aim of advancing peaceful nuclear cooperation between the United States and the Republic of El Salvador." A media note from the State Department says:
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.
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.
Secretary Rubio also raised strategies to counter the influence of the Chinese Communist Party in the hemisphere to safeguard the sovereignty and interests of both nations and the region.
Rubio will continue his tour of Latin America this week with stops in Costa Rica, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic.
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