Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele and Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella are expected to attend the Oct. 14 inauguration of Costa Rica’s new maximum-security prison, according to reports in Costa Rican media late Monday. The presidency had not publicly confirmed the foreign guest list as of Tuesday morning.
The High Containment Center Against Organized Crime (CACCO) is scheduled to open at 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 14, the presidency announced Sunday night. The facility sits on the grounds of the La Reforma penitentiary complex in San Rafael de Alajuela and was built from plans donated by the government of El Salvador, as detailed when the Oct. 14 opening date was announced.
The presence of both leaders would turn the ceremony into a regional showcase for the hard-line prison model Bukele built in El Salvador. Governments in Honduras and Panama have announced El Salvador-style prison measures this year.
President Laura Fernández invited De la Espriella to the opening during a visit to Colombia in September. She said at the time that she had asked him and his security teams to join the October ceremony, and that sharing intelligence with Colombia would strengthen Costa Rica’s fight against drug trafficking networks.
De la Espriella took office Aug. 7 after a campaign that drew on Bukele’s security message. Salvadoran Vice President Félix Ulloa said around the inauguration that his government was ready to advise Colombia on building large prisons.
Justice Minister Gabriel Aguilar declined last week to say whether either leader would attend, saying the question should be answered by the presidency. If Bukele attends, it would be at least his third visit to Costa Rica tied to the prison system. In November 2024 he toured La Reforma and warned that Costa Rica showed symptoms of criminality similar to those El Salvador faced with its gangs.
In January, he returned for a ceremony marking the start of CACCO construction alongside then-President Rodrigo Chaves.That January visit came less than three weeks before Costa Rica’s presidential election and drew criticism from opposition parties, which described it as foreign interference. The Supreme Elections Tribunal allowed the visit to proceed but warned that foreign delegations must not intervene in domestic politics. Fernández won the Feb. 1 election and took office May 8.
The Justice Ministry has said the prison will hold about 5,100 inmates in five modules. It is intended for leaders of criminal organizations, inmates considered violent, people facing extradition and prisoners who require special protection. Inmates will wear orange uniforms and will not be allowed clothing from outside.
The opening also faces a legal challenge. Ricardo Zeledón, a University of Costa Rica professor, filed an amparo appeal on Oct. 1 seeking to block the inauguration and any transfer of inmates to the facility. He argues the center copies El Salvador’s model and would violate human rights. The appeal names Fernández, Chaves and Aguilar.
The government presents the CACCO as the centerpiece of its response to organized crime, which authorities blame for most of the homicides. The Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) recorded 873 homicides in 2025. Whether the new prison will change that trend remains an open question.
The Oct. 14 ceremony will be broadcast live on YouTube, according to the presidency.
