Supporters VS NGOS

 Before Bukele became president, the Salvadoran gangs were very active. They were ruthless in their torture, rape, and killing of women, children, and elderly people. People may be kidnapped and tortured if they do not provide them with the necessary Renta, which is extortion money. Bukele implemented a zero-tolerance stance toward all organizations as soon as he gained power. He started to strengthen the armed forces and the police. According to a news report from Reuters, "murders in El Salvador tumbled 56.8% in 2022 amid a widespread crackdown on gang violence."

Many Salvadorans are sick of the constant bloodshed and lawlessness that characterize their nation. The small Central American nation has been referred to as the world's murder capital in the past, despite a recent decline in homicide rates. Since the 1980s, violence has driven a large number of Salvadorans to immigrate to the United States, causing the number of immigrants from that country to more than double, from 95,000 to over 1 million.  Over 2.3 million individuals of Salvadoran descent live in the United States, making up the third-largest Hispanic community. According to numerous surveys, the government's current efforts to combat gang crime, a problem that has prompted thousands of individuals to flee the nation, are supported by 70% of Salvadorans.

Salvadorans continue to back him both here in the US and back home. Salvadorans in other countries recently planned pro-Bukele rallies in Houston, Long Island, and Los Angeles. People shouted "re-election." Bukele is focused on gaining support in the US. Millions of Salvadorans now finally stroll the streets and live in peace due to Bukele's robust and efficient safety measures. Some supporters even venture to claim that Nayib Armando Bukele is the current Divine Savior of El Salvador.

NGOs and Human rights organizations believe President Nayib Bukele’s swift dismantling of judicial independence since he took office in mid-2019 enabled the abuses of human rights. As mentioned by America's director at Human Rights Watch "Salvadoran security forces have battered vulnerable communities with widespread human rights violations in the name of public safety,”. “To put an end to gang violence and human rights violations, El Salvador’s government should replace the state of emergency with an effective and rights-respective security policy that grants Salvadorans the safety they so dearly deserve.

Human Rights Watch and Cristosal urged the Bukele administration and the Legislative Assembly to take action to eliminate gangs and protect people from their crimes. These include pursuing strategic criminal prosecutions targeted at bringing higher-level gang leaders to justice and looking into violent crimes, as well as addressing the underlying causes of gang violence, such as high levels of poverty and social marginalization.

“According to the data, Salvadoran authorities have inhumanely packed detainees, including hundreds of children, in crowded detention sites, while doing very little to ensure victims’ access to justice for gang violence.” (Human Rights Watch 2023)

Yet President of El Salvador Nayib Bukele has been criticized by human rights groups and activists for a number of reasons, including concerns about freedom of expression, handling security forces, and treatment of political opponents and his state of exception.