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Rubio Announces Deportation of 10 Additional Alleged Gang Members to El Salvador


The deportation occurred just as President Donald Trump and El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele are set to convene at the White House on Monday.

On Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that U.S. authorities had sent back 10 more suspected gang members to El Salvador over the weekend.

Rubio revealed this information following Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s arrival in the U.S. on Saturday to meet with President Donald Trump, emphasizing the U.S.-El Salvador partnership as a model of “security and prosperity in our hemisphere.”

Rubio noted that the deported individuals were linked to the MS-13 and Tren de Aragua gangs, both categorized as foreign terrorist organizations by the U.S. government, without going into additional specifics.

Trump and Bukele are set to meet at the White House on Monday. The President remarked on Sunday that his administration is collaborating closely with El Salvador to “eliminate terrorist organizations.”

Trump commended Bukele for his commitment to accept and accommodate undocumented immigrants deported from the U.S. in El Salvador.

“These criminals are now solely in the custody of El Salvador, a proud and sovereign nation, and their fate rests with President [Bukele] and his administration. They will no longer pose a threat to our citizens,” Trump declared in a social media post.

Human Rights First, based in Washington, criticized the decision to host Bukele at the White House, referencing his government’s alleged human rights abuses, which include implementing a state of exception in March 2022 that suspended constitutional rights in El Salvador.

“Under President Bukele, human rights, democratic principles, and the rule of law have virtually vanished in El Salvador,” stated Amanda Strayer, senior counsel for Human Rights First, in a statement.

The Epoch Times reached out to the El Salvador Embassy in Washington for a comment, but did not receive a reply by the time of publication.

In March, El Salvador agreed to confine around 300 suspected members of the Tren de Aragua gang and two alleged MS-13 gang members in its “mega-prison” for one year in exchange for payment.
The Trump administration has deported numerous undocumented immigrants accused of ties to the Tren de Aragua gang to El Salvador after Trump enacted a proclamation on March 15, utilizing the Alien Enemies Act, which permits deportation of noncitizens without legal proceedings in times of war or invasion.

In his proclamation, Trump asserted that numerous Tren de Aragua gang members had “illegally entered the United States and are engaged in irregular warfare and hostile actions” against the nation.

The president indicated that available evidence suggested the criminal gangs “have invaded the United States and continue to threaten, invade, and perpetrate irregular warfare; they have weaponized drug trafficking against our citizens.”

The government’s deportation initiatives have encountered legal challenges. Last month, a federal judge ordered the administration to return planes carrying nearly 300 alleged gang members already en route to El Salvador.
On April 10, the Supreme Court required the administration to help facilitate the return of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, who had been wrongly deported to El Salvador. Abrego Garcia, a native of El Salvador, was arrested and deported in March due to what authorities labeled his “prominent role” in the MS-13 gang.

An immigration judge had previously determined substantial evidence existed regarding his MS-13 membership, but a different judge granted a withholding of removal, preventing his deportation back to his home country due to safety concerns.

The government stated that Abrego Garcia’s deportation resulted from an administrative error. Trump informed reporters on April 11 that he would comply with the Supreme Court’s order.

Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.



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