Bukele security model gains influence across Latin America

The security model implemented by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele is increasingly serving as a regional reference in Latin America and the Caribbean. According to an analysis by InSight Crime, the strategy—highlighted by the 2023 inauguration of the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) in Tecoluca—has significantly weakened gangs such as MS-13 and Barrio 18.

Governments in approximately ten countries, including Ecuador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Peru, Panama, Guatemala, Paraguay, Argentina, and Colombia, have proposed large-scale penitentiary projects or security policies inspired by the Salvadoran approach. However, InSight Crime notes that no other nation has yet replicated El Salvador's specific results in reducing violence and dismantling gang structures, emphasizing that the success stems from a broad, multi-year security strategy rather than prison size alone.

Beyond physical infrastructure, the “Bukele model” is also being exported through political narratives and digital content. In Colombia, the recent election of Abelardo de la Espriella reflects this trend. De la Espriella, a criminal lawyer who won the June 2026 presidential runoff, built a campaign around aggressive personal branding and promises of hardline measures against crime, publicly expressing admiration for Bukele's methods.