Salvadoran Leader Tells Pompeo He Wants to Reduce Immigration to U.S.

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The government of El Salvador is committed to improving conditions there to reduce illegal immigration to the U.S., and Washington is prepared to join with it, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday.

“This is a country that can be a model on immigration,” Mr. Pompeo said of El Salvador.

The secretary met privately with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who said his own country bears some responsibility for the migrant crisis.

“We want people to stay here,” Mr. Bukele said. “That should be our goal.”

Messrs. Pompeo and Bukele said the two countries will continue to work together on issues including drug interdiction, while expanding economic ties.

Mr. Bukele said he didn’t request additional financial assistance during his meeting with Mr. Pompeo, calling such an approach “tacky.”

The president asked: “What do we want to do in El Salvador? Do we want to get more free money? Do we want more blank checks? No. We want to improve the conditions” in the country so its citizens remain at home.

Mr. Pompeo arrived here Sunday on the final leg of a four-country swing through Latin America, having previously stopped in Buenos Aires; Guayaquil, Ecuador; and Mexico City.

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