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News · WorldKeiko Fujimori visits Bukele's mega-prison and meets him to copy his security plan
Peru's president is spending four days in El Salvador with four ministers. On Thursday she tours CECOT, the prison built for 40,000 inmates, and in the afternoon meets Nayib Bukele. Even in her own party, some doubt the model would work in Peru.
Translated from the original Spanish article. Read in Spanish
News published on October 29, 2026. The situation may have changed since then.
Peru's president, Keiko Fujimori, is on an official visit to El Salvador from October 28 to 31, 2026. She wants to see Nayib Bukele's security model up close.
The agenda
On Thursday the 29th she tours CECOT, the maximum-security mega-prison Bukele opened in 2023, and then meets Justice Minister Gustavo Villatoro. In the afternoon she has a one-on-one meeting with Bukele, followed by another with ministers from both governments.
She is traveling with her ministers of Foreign Affairs, Justice, the Interior and Health. There are also meetings on justice, health, education and tourism.
CECOT was built to hold up to 40,000 people. Fujimori flew to El Salvador on a commercial flight.
Why she is going
The Peruvian government says the trip aims to improve public safety and fight cross-border organized crime, one of Peru's biggest problems.
The criticism
There are doubts even in her own party. Former congresswoman Rosa Bartra said Peru and El Salvador have very different constitutions, so the model might not work the same way. Analyst Ricardo Valdés thinks the government is copying Bukele's communication style first.
Fujimori is following in the footsteps of other leaders in the region who have visited Bukele to learn about his plan.
To see what Bukele is doing outside his country, read [Bukele's operation in Haiti](bukele-haiti.html).
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Sources (in Spanish)
- Agenda, delegación y Cecot: Infobae Perú e Infobae El Salvador (28 de octubre de 2026).
- Ministros y vuelo: El Comercio.
- Críticas: BioBioChile y Latin Times.
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons under free licenses; the author and license are shown under each image.
