# El Salvador's Bukele Plans to Free Up to Half of Prisoners in Gang Crackdown

El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele announced a plan to release as many as half of the roughly 100,000 people imprisoned under his sweeping anti-gang crackdown. The mass incarceration drive, launched in 2022 under a state of exception, has drawn praise for slashing homicide rates but criticism from rights groups over arbitrary detentions and deaths in custody. Releasing a large share of inmates would mark a major reversal for Bukele's signature security policy.

**Importance:** 4/5

## Sources

### World
- [Fox News World](https://www.foxnews.com/world/el-salvador-bukele-announces-plan-free-half-prisoners-jailed-gang-crackdown) — Thu, 15 Oct 2026 03:01:59 -0400