Over the weekend, Florida Senator Marco Rubio (R) met with Nayib Bukele, the President of El Salvador. During the meeting, Rubio touted Salvador’s efforts to crack down on crime and push back against “left-leaning, anti-American governments.
In the meeting, both officials discussed El Salvador’s “ongoing security initiatives, the importance of democratic order in our region, as well as mutual cooperation between the U.S. and El Salvador.”
Speaking of the meeting, which is the first time that Rubio visits the country, Rubio commented that “at a time when the Biden Administration actively alienates our allies and opts to appease murderous dictators in our region, it’s important we stand in support of those democratic leaders in our hemisphere who are actually leading the fight against brutal gangs and criminals in Central America.”
In El Salvador @nayibbukele put thousands of gangbangers in jail
He has an over 90% approval rating because for the first time in decades people feel safe going out at night & they no longer have to pay an extortion tax to MS13 pic.twitter.com/GSZIYX2XGb
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) April 1, 2023
“For the future of our bilateral relations, it’s essential that El Salvador’s democratic institutions remain strong,” Rubio added.
El Salvador has embarked on a crackdown of gang activity, which has resulted in over 65,000 arrests. In a poll regarding support for the effort, 9 out of 10 Salvadorans approve of the strategy the country has taken.
In early March, Salvador’s congress voted to approve another extension of emergency rules that would allow police to continue rounding up suspected members of street gangs.
In a statement regarding the effort, Gustavo Villatoro, El Salvador’s minister for justice and peace, affirmed that the gang members would not return to the streets.
“They are never going to return to the communities, the neighborhoods, the barrios, the cities of our beloved El Salvador,” he said.
The meeting comes as tension between the United States and Mexico rises because of Mexican drug cartels.
Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO), the President of Mexico, has been feuding with Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R), who introduced a bill alongside Florida Rep. Mike Waltz (R) to tackle the issue. With the legislation, the Republican lawmakers call on military force to be used against the cartels.
In response, AMLO has argued that it’s safer to live in Mexico than it is in the United States, and both lawmakers have called for AMLO to stop covering for the cartels.
