El Salvador has increasingly turned to international policing mechanisms to extend its anti-gang campaign beyond its borders since President Nayib Bukele declared a state of emergency in March 2022, a new InSight Crime report has revealed.
As a result, the country has issued hundreds of Interpol red notices, leading to the capture of Salvadoran nationals across Latin America, the United States, and Europe. A May 2025 report by the National Civil Police (PNC) of El Salvador stated that 1,556 alleged gang members have been detained abroad and subsequently returned under this policy.
