El Salvador Offering 5,000 Free Passports to Highly Skilled Workers, says Prez

This blog originally appeared at MINT.

El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele holds the belief that despite their relatively small numbers as a percentage of the population, immigrants will wield a significant influence on the nation’s society and future through their contributions.

Nayib Bukele, the President of El Salvador, has unveiled a plan to provide 5,000 complimentary passports to highly skilled individuals in various fields. He emphasized that this initiative, valued at $5 billion within the country’s passport program, aims to attract scientists, engineers, doctors, artists, and philosophers from abroad.

“We’re extending an offer of 5,000 free passports (equivalent to $5 billion in our passport program) to highly skilled professionals from around the world. This allocation, representing less than 0.1 percent of our population, ensures full citizenship status, including voting rights, without any complications,” Bukele stated.

“Despite the modest number, their contributions are poised to make a significant impact on our society and the future trajectory of our nation,” he emphasized.

“Moreover, we will streamline their relocation process by implementing a 0 percent tax and tariff policy on the transfer of families and assets. This encompasses valuable assets such as equipment, software, and intellectual property. Further details on this initiative will be forthcoming,” Bukele added.

Human Rights Concerns Grow Amid El Salvador’s Prison Set-Up

Since Bukele initiated a crackdown two years ago, nearly three-quarters of El Salvador’s gang members have been apprehended, as reported by AFP on April 3, according to Gustavo Villatoro, the security minister.

Villatoro disclosed that the number of detainees has now reached 79,184, with ongoing efforts to locate the remaining estimated 25,000. He also acknowledged that many of them have fled the country and are not within El Salvador’s borders.

Speaking to the TCS television network, Villatoro stated, “With the record of arrests that we have, in general terms, we can say that we’re at around 75 percent… and that we have 25 percent left.”

In March 2022, Bukele launched a campaign against gangs, utilizing a state of emergency that suspended the need for arrest warrants and other civil liberties.

However, Bukele’s tactics have drawn criticism from human rights groups, with Amnesty International recently describing them as “disproportionate.”

Despite this criticism, Bukele, who secured reelection in February for another five-year term, has pledged to persist with the crackdown “until we eradicate the little that still remains of the gangs.