El Salvador to Accept Deported Migrants, Including Criminals, Under New U.S. Agreement – One America News Network
OAN Staff James Meyers
10:34 AM – Tuesday, February 4, 2025
El Salvador has reached an agreement with the United States to accommodate violent criminals from the U.S. currently in prisons, as well as deportees from any nationality.
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This announcement was made on Monday after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele during his visit to the country.
Rubio stated that the Salvadoran president has “agreed to the most unprecedented, extraordinary migratory agreement anywhere in the world.”
The former Florida Senator added that besides accepting deportees, El Salvador had “also offered to do the same for dangerous individuals currently incarcerated in the U.S., regardless of their citizenship status.”
He made this announcement during his visit to El Salvador aimed at urging the country’s government to adhere to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies.
“President Bukele agreed to accept all Salvadoran MS-13 gang members currently unlawfully residing in the United States.”
Furthermore, Bukele committed to detaining violent undocumented immigrants, including members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang, as well as criminal migrants from any other country, as stated by State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce.
“In an extraordinary move never before proposed by any nation, President Bukele offered to house in his prisons dangerous American criminals, including U.S. citizens and lawful residents,” Bruce noted.
Bruce described the meeting as “tremendously successful, enhancing the strength, safety, and prosperity of both nations.”
However, it remains uncertain whether the U.S. government will accept this offer, given the legal complexities involved. Any initiative by the Trump administration to deport U.S. nationals incarcerated in the country would likely face considerable legal challenges.
El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, is the largest and most recent prison in the country, boasting a maximum capacity of 40,000 inmates.
“The cost would be modest for the U.S. but significant for us, ensuring the sustainability of our entire prison system,” he expressed.
Moreover, the U.S. State Department’s travel advisory for El Salvador cautioned that those held in the country endure “harsh” prison conditions, with inadequate access to due process.
“Overcrowding poses a serious risk to prisoners’ health and safety,” the advisory stated. “Many facilities lack adequate sanitation, potable water, ventilation, temperature control, and lighting.”
Meanwhile, Trump signed an executive order in January specifically identifying MS-13 and Tren de Aragua, citing their “campaigns of violence and terror in the U.S. and globally” as threats to “the stability of the international order in the Western Hemisphere.”
The order also included a recommendation for the State Department to initiate the process of designating Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization.
Last Friday, U.S. special envoy for Latin America Mauricio Claver-Carone suggested an agreement between the U.S. and El Salvador, indicating that Tren de Aragua members “would prefer to return to Venezuela rather than share prison facilities with Salvadoran gangs like MS-13. It’s part of our discussions about how President Bukele can assist us.”
This development follows talks between Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, who announced plans to advance extensive border security measures after a meeting with President Donald Trump on Monday.
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