The administration of President Donald Trump has reached an agreement with El Salvador to pay $6 million to imprison around 300 alleged members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang for one year. This deal marks one of the first instances of El Salvador taking in migrants from the U.S.
The agreement followed discussions between El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding housing migrants in El Salvador’s notorious prison system. Since 2022, Bukele’s government has detained more than 84,000 people as part of a tough crackdown on gang violence, sometimes without due process.
This deal coincided with a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Democracy Forward against Trump’s administration, concerning the detention of five Venezuelan men at an immigration facility in Raymondville, Texas. The lawsuit claimed these individuals were at imminent risk of being deported under the Alien Enemies Act.
However, a U.S. District Judge temporarily blocked any deportations under Trump’s proclamation for two weeks, scheduling a hearing to discuss the issue further. The ACLU reported that two flights may have already been dispatched on Saturday, with passengers potentially being sent to El Salvador and Honduras. Judge Boasberg ordered that any such flights must return midair to the U.S.
El Salvador’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed in a memo that the country would house the 300 individuals for one year while awaiting further decisions on their long-term status. The agreement also covers housing two men identified as members of the MS-13 gang, which has deep roots in both the U.S. and El Salvador. One of these individuals, Cesar Eliseo Sorto Amaya, was convicted of double homicide in El Salvador before being caught attempting to enter the U.S. illegally. The other was charged with being a high-ranking MS-13 leader during the Biden administration.
The Tren de Aragua gang, which originated in a Venezuelan prison, became well-known during the mass exodus of Venezuelans seeking better living conditions due to the country’s economic collapse. Trump and his allies have labeled the gang as a major security threat and even designated it a “foreign terrorist organization” in a recent move.
While U.S. authorities have reported arrests of Tren de Aragua members, the Venezuelan government has claimed to have dismantled the group. Additionally, the Maduro regime has been reluctant to take back deported migrants, with only a few exceptions. Recently, approximately 350 individuals were deported to Venezuela, including 180 who were held at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay.
The Trump administration has suggested that some of those sent to the naval base were affiliated with the Tren de Aragua gang, though it has not provided substantial evidence to support this claim.
The Venezuelan government did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the agreement between the U.S. and El Salvador.
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