Costa Rica’s new president vowed to build a new mega-prison, becoming the latest Latin American leader to draw inspiration from Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s brutal, though effective, approach to crime.
Laura Fernández said her “hand would not tremble” when it came to tackling gangs: Violence in Costa Rica — long held as one of the few Latin American countries devoid of large-scale organized crime — has skyrocketed in recent years, with the homicide rate tripling from the start of the century.
As violence rises across much of the region over a surge in cocaine production, Chile and Ecuador, among others, have vowed to mimic El Salvador’s approach, which has included mass arrests and huge detention facilities.
