Peru’s Senate must decide whether President Keiko Fujimori can visit El Salvador and tour CECOT, the high-security prison she campaigned on building a version of in Peru. The government filed its request on Monday, October 5, after the Council of Ministers approved the trips on Friday, October 2. Senators haven’t announced a vote date.
The proposed itinerary puts prison policy and security cooperation at its center. Peru’s president needs Senate permission for foreign trips, and the government submitted draft legislative resolution official letter No. 283-2026-PR. Fujimori and Prime Minister Luis Galarreta, head of the cabinet, signed a letter addressed to Senate President Miguel Ángel Torres of Fuerza Popular. Galarreta, also first vice president, would run the presidency while Fujimori is away.
Senate Approval and the Prison Model
Fujimori plans to travel to El Salvador from October 28 to 31, at the invitation of Bukele’s government. Her schedule includes a visit to CECOT on Thursday, October 29, and a meeting with Gustavo Villatoro, El Salvador’s minister of justice and public security. A private meeting with Bukele is set for 5 p.m., followed by talks with ministers and a dinner in her honour.
CECOT, short for Terrorism Confinement Centre, stands in Tecoluca and can hold 40,000 inmates, Infobae reported. The outlet said the number of prisoners held there now is unknown. According to Infobae, Fujimori campaigned on building a high-security mega-prison modeled on CECOT. Her office has also sought Inter-American Development Bank experience and financing to expand Peru’s prisons.
The government’s letter says the visit would “reinforce the bilateral relationship” through exchanges of experience in security, justice, education and health. It names “the fight against transnational organised crime” and “strengthening the prison system” as priorities. Peru and El Salvador have held more security-cooperation talks in recent years, the letter says.
Rights Findings and Security Cooperation
Human Rights Watch, a New York-based rights group, and Cristosal, a Salvadoran group, found that the Trump administration sent 252 Venezuelan migrants to CECOT in March and April 2025. Of the 238 flown on March 15, officials removed 137 under the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 wartime law.
A report dated November 12, 2025, said detainees suffered torture and other abuse until officials sent them to Venezuela on July 18, 2025. The report found that at least 48.8% of those deported had no criminal history in the United States. It doesn’t say how those findings will affect Peru’s plans for a CECOT-style prison.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Fujimori in Lima on Thursday, September 10. After the meeting, Fujimori announced that Peru would join the US-backed “Shield of the Americas” against organised crime. Peru’s presidency said Rubio called gangs “terrorist groups” that extort people. Fujimori’s government has asked Congress for powers to declare such gangs “hostile groups and terrorist groups.”
Other Trips and Unanswered Costs
On Friday, October 30, Fujimori plans to visit Hospital Rosales with Health Minister Francisco Alabi, meet Education Minister Karla Trigueros and visit a public school. Trigueros is expected to brief her on “Dos Escuelas por Día” (“Two Schools a Day”), a programme to repair run-down schools or build new ones.
Fujimori would return to Peru on October 31, then travel to Madrid from November 2 to 6 for the 30th Ibero-American Summit. The summit brings Latin American countries together with Spain, Portugal and Andorra. Peru’s letter says the country wants to promote cooperation against organised crime and disaster planning, including for El Niño. Leaders are expected to adopt a Declaration of Madrid covering digital transformation, artificial intelligence and other areas.
The Senate hasn’t said when it will vote on the travel request. The government hasn’t disclosed the cost of either trip, either. It’s also unknown whether Peru and El Salvador will sign an agreement during the visit, or when Peru might build the CECOT-style prison Fujimori promised in her campaign, and at what cost.