El Salvador

Congress is weighing adoption of El Salvador's harsh detention approach (CECOT), but human-rights groups and legal experts warn the strategy risks prioritizing mass incarceration without addressing root causes of violence or protecting fundamental rights.

Ian Fernando Caballero, a 6-year-old Honduran with a congenital heart defect, will undergo open-heart surgery at a San Salvador hospital after his family appealed to El Salvador's government for help; the family is seeking funds for transport and living expenses.

Congress President Tomás Zambrano traveled to El Salvador with members of the legislative security commission to tour the Cecot terrorism prison and explore legal reforms and security cooperation between the two countries to combat organized crime.

A viral warning advises Hondurans who crossed to El Salvador during October's Morazánica holiday to preserve their paso ágil (fast-track border) receipts to avoid future migration complications, though official sources say the system does record crossings and no specific fine for lost documents has been confirmed.

Some 43,449 Hondurans crossed into El Salvador during Morazán Week and spent an estimated 260 million lempiras (roughly $10 million) on lodging alone—up 38.8% from 2023—with many citing lower costs and better security than at home.

Liberal lawmakers are calling for Tourism Minister Andrés Ehrler to report on national tourism promotion policies after he defended Hondurans' choice to vacation in neighboring El Salvador during the recent Morazán holiday week.

More than 43,000 Hondurans traveled to El Salvador during the Morazán Week holiday break, making the neighboring country a popular vacation destination.

Liberal congressman Alex Berríos will request that Tourism Minister Andrés Ehrler report to Congress on why thousands of Hondurans traveled to El Salvador during October holidays instead of vacationing domestically, citing the minister's public defense of tourists' freedom to spend money abroad.

A 56-year-old Honduran woman was sought by El Salvadoran authorities after allegedly lending her cellphone to a prisoner under police watch at a San Salvador hospital; her family says she was unaware it was illegal and meant only to help him contact relatives.

A 10-year-old girl from Ocotepeque, Honduras, underwent open-heart surgery at San Salvador's Benjamín Bloom Hospital in July after her mother found no surgical option in Honduras, with a second operation still needed.

Two Central American researchers documented the historical trail of remains attributed to General Francisco Morazán, revealing that El Salvador's president Nayib Bukele previously claimed the remains had disappeared after a 19th-century grave robbery—contradicting his recent announcement that he relocated them to a new mausoleum.

Honduras Undersecretary of State Pamela Handal Rivera and El Salvador's Deputy Foreign Minister Adriana Mira signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between their countries' diplomatic institutes.

El Salvador launched a tourism campaign in Honduras' two largest cities to court Honduran travelers during the October Morazán holiday week, when migration data shows about 41% of Hondurans who travel abroad choose El Salvador as a destination.

A Honduran court approved the extradition of 30-year-old Humberto Eliseo Sánchez Baca, known as "El Chevo," to El Salvador, where he faces charges of aggravated extortion, organized crime, and conspiracy to commit murder.

Kilvett Bertrand, president of Congress's Defense and Sovereignty Commission, said El Salvador President Nayib Bukele's recent remarks affirm Honduras's sovereignty over Isla Conejo and should resolve any dispute over the territory.

Honduras's Defense Ministry said international bodies have three times confirmed that Isla Conejo belongs to Honduras, dismissing reports of Salvadoran displeasure over the president's recent visit to the island during bilateral cease-fire commemorations.

Honduras formally responded to a diplomatic note from El Salvador demanding that Honduras cease sovereign acts on Conejo Island in the Pacific, reaffirming Honduran sovereignty over the disputed territory.

Foreign Minister Mireya Agüero said she will meet El Salvador's foreign minister in coming days to discuss Isla Conejo, a long-disputed islet in the Gulf of Fonseca, while affirming bilateral ties remain constructive.

President Nasry Asfura led a symbolic visit to Conejo Island in the Pacific with top civilian and military officials to reaffirm Honduras's sovereignty after El Salvador sent a diplomatic note demanding Honduras cease exercising jurisdiction over the territory, citing a 1992 International Court of Justice ruling.

About 45,000 Hondurans crossed into El Salvador during the Morazán holiday period, prompting criticism from a former migration official who questioned the government's domestic tourism strategy and alleged gaps in job creation and public data access.