SAN SALVADOR — El Salvador's Congress approved a constitutional amendment to permit life sentences for gang-related offenses by a vote of 59 of the 60 lawmakers. President Nayib Bukele's security cabinet presented the reform to the legislature earlier in the day.

The amendment is slated to be ratified next week. Officials in Bukele's government vowed that gang members detained will never return to the streets.

More than 1% of the population has been imprisoned in the war on gangs. A state of emergency began in March 2022 following a wave of gang violence and has been extended for nearly four years.

Around 91,300 people have been detained under the state of emergency, which suspends key constitutional rights. President Bukele said that 8,000 innocent people have been released.

Those detained under the state of exception are held in prisons under vague accusations with little evidence and have limited access to due process. Prisoners are often judged in mass trials, and lawyers regularly lose track of where their clients are.

The government has detained critics and activists and has forced journalists and opposition voices to choose between exile or prison.

In August, the government approved a constitutional reform eliminating presidential term limits. The reform removing presidential term limits could allow Bukele to remain in office indefinitely. Bukele's second presidential term began in 2024, though the constitution prohibits consecutive reelection.