As global leaders rush to gain the attention of US President Donald Trump, the self-proclaimed “world’s coolest dictator” has successfully arranged a sought-after meeting at the White House.
Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador, is the first leader from Latin America to receive an invitation to the Oval Office since Trump’s return.
“You are helping us out, and we appreciate it,” Trump expressed to the young leader during their meeting on Monday, local time.
Bukele has played a crucial role in the Trump administration’s deportation efforts, accepting hundreds of individuals suspected of being Venezuelan gang members into his prison system.
He is also involved in a legal battle concerning a Salvadoran migrant who was deported and imprisoned due to an “administrative error,” which Mr. Bukele has stated he will not release.
So, who exactly is Nayib Bukele?
‘World’s coolest dictator’
In just a decade, El Salvador transformed from being labeled the “murder capital of the world” to achieving a record low of 114 homicides in 2024.
It is now the country with the highest incarceration rate globally, all due to its 43-year-old president.
Nayib Bukele with his wife, Gabriela de Bukele, and their daughters at his swearing-in ceremony for his second term in June, 2024. (Reuters: Jose Cabezas)
Nayib Bukele rose to prominence in 2019 after vowing to tackle violent gangs that had plagued El Salvador for years.
A few years later, he modified his Twitter profile to proclaim himself as the “world’s coolest dictator”.
In 2022, he announced a state of emergency, granting authorities the opportunity to detain anyone suspected of gang connections without providing reasons, notifying them of their rights, or allowing legal representation.
Amnesty International reports that hundreds have died in state custody due to factors such as abuse, torture, and lack of medical attention.
Many individuals have disappeared into the prison system, held for years without trial or communication with their families.
Even Bukele acknowledges that some of the 100,000 individuals in his prisons are innocent, referring to them as “collateral damage”.
He has maintained the state of emergency for over three years by renewing it each time it approaches the constitutional 30-day limit.
Bukele has also sidestepped the constitutional restriction on consecutive presidential terms by momentarily “stepping aside” from the presidency, then winning re-election in 2024.
Despite the harsh criticism from human rights organizations, his crackdown has gained popularity among Salvadorans.
Nayib Bukele is so adored in El Salvador that this restaurant in the capital features his portrait throughout its interior. (Reuters: Jose Cabezas)
He has become the most favored leader in Latin America, boasting approval ratings of around 80 percent.
He has also gained a significant supporter — US President Donald Trump.
Handling Trump’s deportees
In March, Trump sent numerous suspected Venezuelan gang members back to El Salvador under the wartime Alien Enemies Act.
These individuals are part of the over 200 deportees housed in El Salvador’s “CECOT” mega prison.
In exchange, the United States is compensating El Salvador approximately $6 million (or $9.5 million).
When a federal judge attempted to prevent Trump’s application of the Act by ordering the deportation flights to return to the US, Bukele commented on social media:
“Oopsie … Too late.”
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This situation led to a protracted court struggle over the legality of the deportations.
The deportations occurred without due process, and several advocates and families have questioned the alleged gang affiliations of some individuals.
However, last week, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration could proceed with deporting Venezuelan migrants under the Alien Enemies Act for the time being, thereby overturning the prior court’s decision.
Response to ‘administrative error’
In an unrelated case last week, the Supreme Court mandated the Trump administration to facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man who was deported to El Salvador due to what the government called an “administrative error”.
Advocates assert that Abrego Garcia fled from gang violence in El Salvador during his teenage years, and a judge had granted him protection against deportation in 2019.
Donald Trump remarked to Nayib Bukele: “You are helping us out, and we appreciate it.” (AP: Manuel Balce Ceneta)
He possessed a US work permit and worked as a sheet metal apprentice near Washington DC, where he resided with his wife and three children.
Government lawyers indicated they would comply with the order but haven’t specified the actions they are taking to facilitate his return, instead stating he is “alive and secure” but “detained pursuant to the sovereign domestic authority of El Salvador” in a court document submitted on Saturday.
During the White House meeting on Monday, Trump asked his advisers to clarify the administration’s stance.
“No court in the United States can dictate the foreign policy of the United States,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated.
“I don’t comprehend what the confusion is. This individual is a citizen of El Salvador. He was in the United States illegally and was returned to his country.”
Bukele was questioned about whether he would send Abrego Garcia back to the United States or release him from custody. He characterized the inquiry as “ridiculous”.
“How can I return him today?” he inquired.
“Should I smuggle him into the United States? That is not something I’ll do… I lack the authority to return him to the United States.”
“Yet, we’re not inclined to release him. We just transformed the murder capital of the world into the safest nation in the Western hemisphere, and you expect us to revert to releasing criminals.”
Jailing Americans in El Salvador?
Trump has expressed willingness to send US citizens to prisons in El Salvador if they commit violent crimes.
“If it’s a homegrown criminal, I have no issue,” he stated.
Such a policy would likely encounter legal and constitutional challenges, but Trump mentioned: “We’re currently reviewing the laws.”
“I’m referring to violent offenders. I’m talking about extremely dangerous individuals, every bit as bad as those who are coming in.”
Trump also suggested that El Salvador would continue to play a vital role in his immigration policies, stating his desire to send “as many as possible” to the nation.
“And I just asked the president, this enormous facility that he established, the jail complex. I said: ‘Can you construct some more of them? Please?'”
