US EditionCosta Rica Joins El Salvador in New Security Pact Against Organized Crime : The Tico Times | Costa Rica News
The pact enables intelligence sharing and joint security efforts to combat crime, with El Salvador's crackdown resulting in over 90,000 arrests since 2022, officials said.
- During Rodrigo Chaves's two-day official visit, Presidents Nayib Bukele and Rodrigo Chaves signed the Coatepeque Declaration at Lake Coatepeque, creating the Escudo de las Américas alliance to tackle organized crime and foster regional growth.
- Amid a recent rise in killings, Costa Rica turned to El Salvador's approach for possible adaptation as talks began last year when Bukele visited Costa Rica, prompting Chaves to seek new security tools.
- Enforcement figures underpin Bukele's model, including over 90,000 arrests under the state of emergency with about 8,000 released, and CECOT holding around 15,000 inmates in a 40,000-capacity facility.
- Leaders invited neighbors to join the Escudo de las Américas, expanding the pact's immediate diplomatic reach as both leaders urged other Central American nations to join and framed success on shared targets and coordinated border and port actions.
- Critics caution that exporting Bukele's methods risks due-process violations, while Costa Rica's courts and legal culture require cooperation and compatible evidence rules for effective security.
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13 Articles
A New Central America Security Alliance Bets Cooperation Can Outrun Cartel Power
Key Points El Salvador and Costa Rica have launched “Shield of the Americas,” a joint push against organized crime that they want other countries to join. The deal links Costa Rica’s sudden security anxiety with El Salvador’s claim of a dramatic turnaround under a prolonged crackdown. The hard part is not the slogan. It is […]
Bukele and Chaves agree on the 'escudo of the Americas', a regional strategy to combat criminal networks in a coordinated and effective way.
Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves and his counterpart from El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, signed on Thursday an agreement called “Alianza Escudo de las Américas”, which encourages cooperation in security and to which they want other countries of the region to join. The agreement will allow “to share experiences in the fight against gangs”, in the midst of a strong wave of insecurity and homicides facing Costa Rica. “What we are doing is to lend t…
SAN SALVADOR (AP) — El Salvador and Costa Rica signed a security agreement Thursday aimed at combating organized crime and terrorism.
The agreement was signed by Presidents Nayib Bukele and Rodrigo Chaves, who called on other countries to join the initiative.
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