El Salvador’s president is warning the United States about corrupt judges that form a cartel to block reforms in the country.
President Nayib Bukele said corrupt judges need to be removed for there to be any change saying
“If you don’t impeach the corrupt judges, you CANNOT fix the country.”
“They will form a cartel (a judicial dictatorship) and block all reforms, protecting the systemic corruption that put them in their seats.”
Bukele, is known for his crackdown on gang violence that transformed El Salvador from one of the deadliest countries to one of the safest.
His administration’s reforms, including the mass dismissal of judges tied to organized crime, paved the way for sweeping changes that prioritized law and order.
In the U.S. critics point to unelected federal judges issuing nationwide injunctions that stop President Trump’s executive actions on immigration, energy independence, budget, and election integrity.
Allegations of ***judicial*** bias—seen in cases involving Trump or challenges to voter ID laws—echo Bukele’s warning.
Conservatives advocate for measures like term limits for federal judges and stricter impeachment processes.
In 2015, El Salvador was suffering from unprecedented violence, earning its reputation as one of the world’s deadliest countries.
There were 6,656 homicides in El Salvador in 2015 alone.
This surge marked a 70% increase from the previous year’s 3,942 killings, overwhelming communities and straining the nation’s resources.
Enter President Bukele, who took office in 2019, and vowed to dismantle the gang’s that were destroying the country.
His administration launched an aggressive anti-gang offensive, including:
Declaring a state of emergency in March 2022 following a weekend spike of 87 murders
Suspending constitutional rights like due process to enable rapid arrests.
Overseeing the detention of more than 80,000 suspected gang members in sweeping raids, many held in a massive new “mega-prison”
Deploying military units to high-risk neighborhoods and negotiating truces that pressured gangs into compliance
By 2023, total homicides plummeted to 154—a 97.7% drop from previous years.
Fast-forward to 2024, and El Salvador closed the year with a record low of 114 murders.
Through October of this year, there have been 61 homicides in El Salvador
As for the judges …. In total, Bukele’s government oversaw the removal or forced retirement of about 205 judges through targeted purges.
In May 2021, shortly after Bukele’s New Ideas party secured a congressional supermajority, the Legislative Assembly voted unanimously (64-0) to oust all five judges of the Supreme Court’s Constitutional Chamber.
These judges were accused of ties to opposition forces and corruption.
They were replaced
Later that August, the assembly passed a reform law mandating retirement for all judges aged 60 or older, or those with 30 years of service—effectively purging about one-third of the judiciary.
This opened about 200 positions, which were filled with vetted replacements to make sure impartiality in the fight against crime.
