El Salvador: A Nation of Triumph
The nation of El Salvador has had an incredible transformation over the last few years; from one of the world’s most dangerous countries to one of the safest and most visited nations in Central America. The country’s current president, Nayib Bukele, first elected in 2019, has brought peace to the country through strict law enforcement. President Bukele has successfully put an end to the power that gangs held in the country and increased tourism, creating a better reputation for the country.
For years the citizens of El Salvador lived in fear of violent gangs that controlled their lives. The Salvadoran civil war, which lasted from 1980-1992 gave rise to the formation of these gangs. The article, “War in Peace: Exploring the Roots of El Salvador's Gang Violence,” by Jessica Farber, talks about how gangs like “La Mara Salvatrucha ( MS-13)” and “Barrio 18” would terrorize and kill Salvadoran citizens. Farber said that during the 90s and 2000s Salvadorans were taunted by gangs for money. She said, “Everyday, innocent bus drivers, tortilla sellers, and other small business owners are murdered when they cannot pay la renta ( the extortion fee) to the gangs.” Gangs made it difficult for citizens to make a living in peace; they would force working class people to hand over their earnings as extortion fees. If they couldn’t meet the demands they would face deadly consequences.
Attempts to crack down on gang violence were made by the Salvadoran government during the years between 2009-2014 but they were unsuccessful and innocent citizens were still being extorted for their money. Farber said that in 2012 with the support of the Organization of the American State and the United Nations the country negotiated a truce between MS-13 and Barrio 18 gangs. The truce did bring some peace to the nation. Farber said, “The truce led to a 41 percent reduction in homicides in 2013 and a reduction of daily homicide count from 14 to five.” The truce reduced the numbers of innocent lives lost to gang violence. Farber also said that the truce allowed citizens to establish businesses in peace. She said, “The truce prompted the creation of “Violent Free Zones” in eleven municipalities across the countries.” Citizens could work in these zones without the fear of gangs. However, it was revealed that despite less reported homicides, extortion and killings by gangs were still happening discreetly. Farber said, “Disappearances were reported at an alarmingly high rate and the discovery of mass graves in early 2014 revealed that killings had been occuring all along, albeit covertly.” The truce had failed and the killing and extortion of innocent civilians continued to happen despite the lack of reporting.
One main reason why gang violence persisted in El Salvador during the 2010s was due to the bribery that occurred in prisons. Farber said, “Underpaid prison guards have been found to accept bribes of two to three times their wages from gang members in exchange for being allowed to take cell phones into prisons.” Farber said that with access to cell phones incarcerated gang members were able to communicate and organize crimes despite being locked up.
Since taking office in 2019, President Bukele, has made it his mission to make El Salvador as safe and peaceful as possible. President Bukele has tackled gang violence through extreme legal measures. The article “Too Many Soldiers’: How Bukele’s Crackdown Succeeded Where Others Failed,'' By Alex Papadovassilakis talks about how Bukele was able to take and keep control away from violent gangs. Papadovassilakis, said that Bukele successfully arrested violent gang members through a crackdown launched in March 2022. He said, “The crackdown began with the enactment of a state of emergency following a series of brutal gang massacres that left 87 people dead.” While the crackdown was done with the intention of bringing justice to murdered victims Papadovassilakis said that the crackdown did deprive all Salvadoran citizens of basic constitutional rights like the right to a legal defense. He said,“Emergency powers permitted security forces to execute a blitzkrieg on gangs, rounding up gang members and suspected collaborators without warrant or based on anonymous tips and, by extension at a much faster rate and with less discretion when compared with previous crackdowns. Security forces arrested over 33,000 people in the first two months of the state of emergency.” The crackdown operation made it clear that Bukele was serious about keeping violent individuals away from the streets and cities of El Salvador. However, his harsh measures made it easy for innocent individuals to be arrested and it made it harder for them to prove their innocence as detainees lost the right to a hearing within 72 hours of arrest and were without the help of a lawyer or attorney.
President Bukele also made sure that violent gang members stayed in prison. Papadovassilakis, said that in March of 2022 Bukele’s administration passed news laws that increased jail sentences for gang members. He said, “the legislative assembly passed legal reforms increasing jail sentences for gang membership and eliminating the possibility of house arrest for detainees belonging to “terrorist groups.” Gangs are considered terrorist organizations under Salvadoran law.” Bukele wanted to keep gang members in prison for as long as possible to keep peace in the streets of El Salavdor. Bukele passed laws that would prevent new gang members from emerging; he wanted to stop crimes before they happened. Papadovassilakis, said that in March of 2022 the legislative assembly modified the legislation regarding unlawful association. He said, “The law now gives authorities the power to arrest not just suspected members, or homeboys but also aspiring members and suspected, “collaborators.” These strict measures prevent new gangs and gang members from forming.
In order to keep gang members away and stop them from escaping President Bukele built a new prison. According to the article, “Inside El Salvador’s New Mega Prison for gang members,” the thousands of incarcerated men live in harsh conditions such as having metal beds instead of mattresses. The article also said that the prison is equipped with high tech surveillance making escapes nearly impossible. The prison’s goal is to lock up as many criminals as possible and to keep them away for as long as possible.
Many citizens of El Salvador have reported that the absence of gangs has brought peace to their lives. Papadovassilakis, said that citizens were able to take control back of recreational and community spaces that were dominated by gangs. He said that citizens are finally able to work in peace without the threat of extortion. “One bus company owner who previously paid around $6,000 in monthly extortion fees to the three main gang factions said that he stopped paying rent to the MS13 gang immediately after the crackdown began. His payments to the Barrio 18 fizzled out in the following days and weeks.” It is clear that working class individuals no longer have to worry about giving up their earnings to violent gang members.
The increase in security in El Salvador has also led to an increase in tourism. According to the article, “El Salvador Emerges as the Fastest-Growing Tourism Destination in Latin America,” El Salvador has become the most significant tourist destination in Latin America. The article said that in terms of visitors , “ El Salvador experienced a remarkable 157% growth in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period in 2024. The WTTC ( the World of Travel and Tourism Council) projects that El Salvador will lead in international tourist arrivals in the January to June period this year in Latin America.” El Salvador will continue to grow as the most visited nation in Latin America and the article credits Bukele’s security policies for this growth.
While President Bukele has successfully tackled gang violence his presidency has been met with criticism. According to the article, “El Salvador: President Bukele Engulfs the Country in a Human Rights Crisis After Three Years in Government,” by Amnesty International, Bukele ignored human rights laws during his crackdown. The article said, “Thousands of people have been detained without legal representation being met purely because the authorities view them as criminals in the stigmatizing speeches of President Bukele’s government.” During his crackdown President Bukele successfully arrested violent gang members but according to the article it’s possible innocent civilians were also arrested simply because of how they look or because they were related to a gang member but never committed any crime. Despite the criticism, Bukele’s approval rating remains high among Salvadoran citizens. Many Salvadoran citizens believe Bukele’s strict law enforcement measures are the reason they can live in peace and the reason why the country is attracting a lot of tourism.
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