Nayib Bukele on Gang Control
TL;DR
Nayib Bukele champions an aggressive, state-of-exception approach to gang control characterized by mass arrests and suspension of rights.
Key Points
The president initiated a state of exception beginning in March 2022, which suspends key constitutional rights to facilitate gang crackdown operations.
His administration credits the strategy with dramatically reducing El Salvador's homicide rate from one of the world's highest.
The policy has led to the arrest and detention of over 70,000 people suspected of gang affiliation as of early 2024.
Summary
Nayib Bukele's core position on gang control centers on implementing a state of exception to dismantle organized criminal structures responsible for high homicide rates. His administration initiated this strategy following a surge in gang violence, leading to the mass incarceration of tens of thousands of suspected gang members. The president frequently justifies these extensive measures by citing the drastic reduction in homicides and the return of public security to many communities, arguing that extraordinary actions are necessary to eradicate the deep-rooted problem of gang control over daily life.
This crackdown has resulted in significant international concern regarding human rights, as it involves detaining individuals without due process and suspending constitutional guarantees. While the policy is broadly popular domestically due to perceived security gains, critics point to the jailing of innocent people and a deepening security state as dangerous implications. The president frames this ongoing confrontation as an existential battle for the nation's future against criminal forces that the previous political establishments failed to contain.
Key Quotes
We now have them literally on the run and hiding. Now they are literally hiding like rats. And I mean no offense, to the rats of course, but they are literally hiding in holes...
Frequently Asked Questions
Nayib Bukele strongly advocates for an uncompromising, authoritarian approach to controlling gangs through a state of exception. He believes these severe measures are essential for dismantling organized crime networks that previously plagued the country.
The president has maintained a consistent and strong stance favoring an iron-fist approach to gangs throughout his tenure. His policy has been an escalation, not a reversal, of earlier security efforts.
The president frequently highlights the dramatic reduction in the national homicide rate as direct evidence of the success of his gang crackdown. He frames this security achievement as a necessary prerequisite for national development and citizen safety.
Sources10
Thousands of innocent people jailed in El Salvador’s gang crackdown
El Salvador: President Bukele human rights crisis
'Trapped in this hell': How one El Salvador town transformed under Bukele
El Salvador President Bukele and Gangs
From Gang Rule to Iron Fist: Questioning Progress in Bukele’s El Salvador
El Salvador’s crackdown on gang violence has failed to make life safer for women
From Murder Capital to Security State: El Salvador’s Transformation Under President Bukele
Country Policy and Information Note: Fear of gangs, El Salvador (December 2025)
The Bukele Phenomenon: An Analysis of the Security Policies of El Salvador's President
El Salvador’s Crackdown on Gangs, Explained
* This is not an exhaustive list of sources.