Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said his country has accepted hundreds of violent gang members deported from U.S. to be housed in El Salvador’s notorious prison.
The president of El Salvador announced his country has accepted hundreds of Venezuelan gang members who were illegally living in the United States, as a U.S. judge moved to block deportations of illegal immigrants under a wartime law invoked by President Donald Trump.
„Today, the first 238 members of the Venezuelan criminal organization, Tren de Aragua, arrived in our country. They were immediately transferred to CECOT, the Terrorism Confinement Center, for a period of one year (renewable)“, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele posted to X on Sunday morning, accompanied by video footage of planes on a tarmac.
„On this occasion, the U.S. has also sent us 23 MS-13 members wanted by Salvadoran justice, including two ringleaders. One of them is a member of the criminal organization’s highest structure“, he added.
Tren de Aragua is a Venezuelan-connected gang that has infiltrated communities in states such as Colorado and Texas, while MS-13 is a Los Angeles-founded gang with ties to El Salvador that has deep roots in California and other states such as Maryland. The State Department designated both gangs as foreign terrorist organizations last month.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio celebrated the Salvadoran president as „the strongest security leader in our region“ and „a great friend of the U.S.“ for accepting the criminal illegal aliens.
