Matt Gaetz Rejects Claim about El Salvador Caucus 'Whitewashing Abuses' by Bukele

Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz rejected a recent article by a Salvadoran organization, which claimed that the Congressional El Salvador Caucus, which he chairs, is "whitewashing abuses" committed by the Nayib Bukele government.

In a statement this week, Gaetz said the allegations made by the group, CISPES, are "baseless" and said the organization has "ignored the anarcho-tyranny of the gangs." "Instead, they have attacked the lawful and necessary security measures installed by the El Salvadoran government and President Bukele," Gaetz said.

He went on to claim that the caucus has "drawn attention to the many human rights abuses by gangs such as MS-13 and the successful operations" by the government to "restore law and order," adding that CISPES has stayed silent about it.

The piece in question was published last week and said that, rather than advancing the relations between the two countries, the caucus was whitewashing Bukele's policies.

To back its claims, the group said that over the past two years, Bukele's "war against gangs" has led to mass arrests and overcrowded prisons, drawing condemnation from human rights organization. It focused especially on a July 2024 report from the Salvadoran human rights organization Cristosal highlighted the deaths of at least 265 people in state custody and documented evidence of torture and arbitrary detentions.

The group added that despite this, Republican Matt Gaetz, co-chair of the caucus, praised Bukele's policies during a trip to the country. he caucus's formation follows the controversial inauguration of Bukele for a second term, which critics have labeled unconstitutional. "A lot of the people behind [prison bars] would've found a way to make their way to the United States and harm Americans," Gaetz said during his visit.

However, the piece added, "migration from El Salvador has continued under Bukele, driven by a failing economy and aggravated by the imminent threat of arbitrary arrest," as well as political persecution.

The organization also focused on the request by El Salvador caucus for the State Department to reduce the country's travel advisory, currently at Level 3, which means "Reconsider Travel" and is the second-highest possible. It claimed that doing so could "amount to an erasure of the repressive conditions that the current advisory describes—conditions that have not changed."

"It could also affect Salvadorans seeking asylum in the United States by denying the dangers of life under Bukele's government. Such advisories are often included in asylum cases to demonstrate the U.S. government's official recognition of the conditions that force people to flee their home countries," CISPES said.

Gaetz, however, rejected the claims, instead seeking to draw attention to the organization: "Where was CISPES when dozens of innocent people were being murdered per day in El Salvador? Where was CISPES when El Salvador was the most dangerous country in the world? If CISPES truly stood in 'solidarity' with the people of El Salvador, they would support President Bukele's state of exception, which the people of El Salvador support by over 90%," he said.