US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced late on Monday that El Salvador’s president has agreed to accept deportees from the U.S., regardless of nationality, including violent American criminals currently incarcerated in the U.S, reports AP.

President Nayib Bukele “has agreed to the most unprecedented, extraordinary migratory agreement anywhere in the world,” Rubio stated after several hours of discussions with Bukele at his lakeside residence outside San Salvador.

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“We can send them, and he will place them in his prisons,” Rubio said of migrants of all nationalities detained in the U.S. “He has also offered to do the same for dangerous criminals serving sentences in the U.S., even if they are U.S. citizens or legal residents.”

Rubio was in El Salvador to urge its government to take further action in response to President Donald Trump's demands for tougher immigration measures.

Bukele confirmed the offer on X, saying that El Salvador had “offered the United States of America the opportunity to outsource part of its prison system.” He clarified that the country would only accept “convicted criminals” and would charge a fee that would be “relatively low for the U.S. but significant for us, making our entire prison system sustainable.”

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After Rubio’s comments, a U.S. official mentioned that the Trump administration currently has no plans to deport American citizens, though the offer from Bukele was seen as significant. Deporting U.S. citizens would face considerable legal obstacles.

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The U.S. State Department describes El Salvador’s overcrowded prisons as “harsh and dangerous,” noting that many facilities suffer from inadequate sanitation, water, ventilation, temperature control, and lighting.

Rubio had just witnessed a U.S.-funded deportation flight carrying 43 migrants from Panama to Colombia. This followed a stern warning from Rubio to Panama that unless it took immediate action to remove Chinese influence at the Panama Canal, the U.S. would intervene.

Migration was the primary focus during Rubio's five-nation Central American tour, which also includes Costa Rica, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic. His visit coincides with significant political turmoil in Washington over the future of the U.S. government’s main foreign development agency.

The Trump administration has focused on stopping people from migrating to the U.S., working with regional countries to enhance immigration enforcement and accept deportees from the U.S.

The arrangement Rubio described, in which El Salvador accepts foreign nationals detained in the U.S. for immigration violations, is a “safe third country” agreement. Officials suggested this could be an option for Venezuelan gang members convicted of crimes in the U.S., but Rubio stated that Bukele's offer applied to detainees of any nationality.

Rubio further explained that Bukele had also proposed accepting and incarcerating U.S. citizens or legal residents convicted of violent crimes.

Human rights advocates have expressed concern that El Salvador lacks a consistent policy for asylum seekers and refugees and warned that the agreement might extend beyond violent criminals.

Manuel Flores, secretary-general of the leftist opposition party, the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front, criticized the “safe third country” plan, calling it a signal that the region is merely Washington’s “backyard to dump the garbage.”

After meeting with Bukele, Rubio signed a memorandum with his Salvadoran counterpart to advance U.S.-El Salvador civil nuclear cooperation, potentially leading to a more formal agreement on nuclear power and medicine.

The deportation flight Rubio witnessed was carrying migrants detained by Panamanian authorities after illegally crossing the Darien Gap from Colombia. The State Department views such deportations as a deterrent, with the U.S. having provided Panama nearly $2.7 million for flights and tickets since the agreement to fund them.

Rubio was present as the flight departed, which was taking 32 men and 11 women back to Colombia. It’s uncommon for a Secretary of State to witness such law enforcement operations, especially in front of cameras.

“Mass migration is one of the great tragedies of the modern era,” Rubio said afterward. “It impacts countries worldwide. We recognize that many of those who seek mass migration are often victims themselves, and it harms everyone.”

This deportation flight coincided with Trump’s threats to penalize countries that do not accept deportation flights from the U.S. He briefly imposed sanctions on Colombia last week after it initially refused two flights, while Panama has been more cooperative, accepting flights of third-country deportees.

Rubio's visit occurs during a freeze in U.S. foreign assistance and stop-work orders halting U.S.-funded programs targeting illegal migration and crime in Central America. The State Department confirmed that Rubio had approved waivers for certain critical programs in the countries he’s visiting, though details were not immediately available.

While Rubio was abroad, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) staff were instructed to stay away from the agency’s Washington headquarters following Musk’s announcement that Trump had agreed to shut it down.

Thousands of USAID employees have been laid off, and many programs have been discontinued. Rubio told reporters in San Salvador that he was now the acting administrator of USAID but had delegated day-to-day operations.

This restructuring means that USAID is no longer an independent agency and will now be run by the State Department, a move likely to be challenged in court.

Rubio noted that although some USAID programs would continue, the reorganization was necessary because the agency had become unaccountable to both the executive branch and Congress.

Regarding his recent discussion with Panama’s president on the Panama Canal, Rubio expressed hope that the Panamanians would heed his and Trump’s warnings about China. The issue remains sensitive in Panama, which agreed to withdraw from a Chinese infrastructure initiative but has resisted calls for the U.S. to regain control of the canal.

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“I understand that it’s a delicate issue in Panama,” Rubio told reporters in San Salvador. “We don’t want to have a hostile and negative relationship with Panama. I don’t think we do. We had a frank and respectful conversation, and I hope it will yield results.”

Back in Washington, Trump was more forceful, stating: "China’s involvement with the Panama Canal won’t last for long, and that’s how it must be."

“We either want it back, or we’ll take very strong actions, or we’ll take it back,” Trump declared. “And China will be dealt with.”