Reform Pledges to Deport Foreign Prisoners to El Salvador
Reform UK said it would deport foreign criminals to serve their sentences in prisons in El Salvador, an escalation of its hardline plan to empty Britain’s overcrowded jails of foreign nationals. Critics warned the scheme could expose deportees to abuse and would face formidable legal obstacles. Nigel Farage has framed the crackdown as part of a wider immigration emergency.
The proposal echoes an arrangement the United States struck with El Salvador, whose vast, harsh mega-prisons have drawn condemnation from human-rights groups. Sending prisoners there would raise acute legal and moral questions, including Britain’s obligations not to expose people to torture or inhuman treatment, and would require an agreement with the Salvadoran government. Reform, riding high in the polls, has increasingly reached for dramatic measures on crime and migration to outflank the main parties. Whether such a plan is lawful or workable is far from clear. Watch whether the idea gains traction or collapses under scrutiny.