El Salvador Agrees to House Alleged Tren de Aragua Members

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El Salvador Agrees to House Alleged Tren de Aragua Members \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ President Donald Trump’s administration will pay El Salvador $6 million to imprison 300 alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang for one year, marking one of the first instances of the Central American country detaining migrants from the U.S. The deal follows talks between Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, whose tough-on-crime policies have led to mass arrests in El Salvador. The agreement raises questions about how the U.S. identified the prisoners as gang members and whether additional migrants could be sent to El Salvador in the future.

Trump’s Prisoner Transfer Deal – Quick Looks

The U.S. will pay El Salvador $6 million to detain 300 alleged Venezuelan gang members for one year.
The prisoners will be held in El Salvador’s controversial mega-prison, known for mass incarcerations and harsh conditions.
Trump administration documents did not specify how the individuals were identified as Tren de Aragua members.
The deal is part of a larger agreement between Trump and Bukele, potentially expanding detention operations in Central America.
A separate $15 million fund may be used to house additional gang-related detainees.
The Salvadoran government also agreed to accept two MS-13 members, including one convicted of double homicide.
Venezuela has refused to accept deported migrants, forcing the U.S. to find alternative detention locations.

Deep Look

In a significant expansion of Trump’s immigration policies, the U.S. has struck a deal with El Salvador to detain hundreds of alleged gang members deported from the United States. The agreement will send $6 million to Bukele’s government in exchange for one year of imprisonment for 300 individuals allegedly tied to the Tren de Aragua gang.

The deal, revealed through official memos obtained by the Associated Press, marks a new phase in Trump’s crackdown on migrant-related crime and raises critical questions about due process, human rights, and U.S. immigration enforcement.

Bukele’s Mega-Prison to House U.S. Detainees

The detainees will be housed in El Salvador’s high-security prison system, which has gained global attention for its mass incarcerations and severe conditions.

Since 2022, Bukele’s government has arrested over 84,000 people, many without formal charges, in a sweeping crackdown on gangs.
The prison conditions have been widely criticized by human rights organizations, with reports of abuse, overcrowding, and lack of due process.
The new detainees will be held for at least a year, with the U.S. yet to determine their long-term fate.

“The Republic of El Salvador confirms it will house these individuals for one (1) year, pending the United States’ decision on their long-term disposition,” the Salvadoran Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote in a memo.

How Were These Migrants Identified as Tren de Aragua Members?

A major unanswered question surrounding the agreement is how the Trump administration determined that these 300 individuals were members of Tren de Aragua.

No evidence has been publicly provided to confirm their affiliation with the gang.
The Trump administration has declared Tren de Aragua a “foreign terrorist organization”, increasing pressure to remove its members from U.S. soil.
While authorities in several countries have made arrests tied to the gang, Venezuela’s government claims it has dismantled the organization.

The lack of transparency in the identification process raises concerns about potential misidentifications and whether individuals are being sent to detention without fair trials.

Expanding Migrant Detention: Could More Be Sent to El Salvador?

The deal could pave the way for additional migrant transfers to El Salvador, with a separate $15 million fund set aside for future detentions.

The U.S. has suggested that El Salvador could house even more detainees, including those without clear criminal records.
Rubio and Bukele’s discussions have included the possibility of expanding the agreement beyond just gang-related cases.
Some in the Trump administration have suggested El Salvador could even hold U.S. citizens, though legal experts argue that deporting American citizens abroad is unconstitutional.

El Salvador Will Also Take MS-13 Members

In addition to Tren de Aragua detainees, El Salvador has agreed to accept two members of the MS-13 gang, one of whom has a double homicide conviction in the country.

One detainee, Cesar Eliseo Sorto Amaya, was convicted of double homicide in El Salvador before illegally entering the U.S.
Another detainee was charged under Biden’s administration as a high-ranking MS-13 leader.

These cases highlight the deep ties between gang violence in Central America and migration enforcement in the U.S..

Venezuela’s Standoff: Why Isn’t Maduro Accepting Deportees?

One of the main reasons for this new deal is the Venezuelan government’s refusal to accept deported migrants from the U.S.

Nicolás Maduro’s government has only accepted deportees on rare occasions, despite the Trump administration labeling Tren de Aragua a terrorist organization.
Over the past few weeks, around 350 Venezuelans were deported, including 180 who were detained at Guantanamo Bay before being sent back.
Trump officials claim many Venezuelans sent to Guantanamo were Tren de Aragua members, but little evidence has been provided to support this claim.

With Venezuela remaining unwilling to cooperate, the U.S. is now outsourcing its detention process to other countries like El Salvador.

Political & Human Rights Implications

The decision to send detainees to El Salvador has sparked debates about:

Human rights – El Salvador’s prisons have been accused of severe mistreatment of detainees, raising ethical concerns.
Due process – The lack of transparency in identifying gang members could result in innocent people being imprisoned without trial.
International relations – This deal strengthens ties between Trump and Bukele, who shares a tough-on-crime approach but is also criticized for authoritarian tendencies.

What Happens Next?

The agreement marks a major shift in U.S. immigration enforcement, potentially laying the groundwork for future partnerships with other countries to detain or process migrants.

If the U.S. decides to expand the program, thousands more migrants could be housed in El Salvador.
The Trump administration may seek additional deals with other Central American nations, depending on how this arrangement unfolds.
Human rights organizations are expected to challenge the legality of the transfers, questioning whether detainees are receiving fair treatment.

For now, El Salvador is preparing to receive the 300 alleged gang members, while Trump’s administration considers its next steps in handling migrant detainees abroad.