Trump meets with president of El Salvador, where U.S. deportees have been imprisoned

Thomson Reuters

· Posted: Apr 14, 2025 9:47 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

U.S. President Donald Trump meets connected Monday with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, a person praised by the medication for opening his country's situation strategy to alleged pack members and detainees Trump wants retired of the United States.

The Trump medication has deported hundreds of Venezuelans to El Salvador nether the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, including a Maryland nonmigratory it has acknowledged deporting by mistake.

Trump, who came into bureau successful January promising to betterment U.S. migration policy, has recovered a kindred tone for that effort successful Bukele. The migrants El Salvador accepts from the U.S. are housed successful a high-security situation critics accidental engages successful quality rights abuses.

The lawsuit of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland nonmigratory who was sent to El Salvador's alleged Terrorism Confinement Center connected March 15 contempt an bid protecting him from deportation, has drawn peculiar attention.

The U.S. Supreme Court upheld an bid from Judge Paula Xinis directing the medication to "facilitate and effectuate" his return, but said the word "effectuate" was unclear and mightiness transcend her authority.

However, successful a tribunal filing connected Sunday, the medication said it was not obligated to assistance Abrego Garcia get retired of situation successful El Salvador.

WATCH | Breaking down the centuries-old instrumentality U.S. is utilizing to deport many:

Bukele doing 'fantastic job': Trump

Trump told reporters connected Friday that his medication would bring Abrego Garcia backmost if the Supreme Court directed it to.

"I deliberation he's doing a fantastic job, and he's taking attraction of a batch of problems that we person that we truly wouldn't beryllium capable to instrumentality attraction of from a outgo standpoint," Trump told reporters connected Sunday astir Bukele, referring to the outgo of imprisoning the detainees successful El Salvador.

"He's been amazing. We person immoderate precise atrocious radical successful that prison. People that should person ne'er person been allowed into our country."

Pressed connected whether helium had concerns astir alleged quality rights abuses astatine the mega-prison, Trump said no.

"I don't spot it. I don't spot that," helium said.

The U.S. connected Saturday deported 10 much radical it alleges are pack members to El Salvador, said Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who called the confederation betwixt Trump and Bukele "an illustration for information and prosperity successful our hemisphere."

Lawyers and relatives of the migrants held successful El Salvador accidental they are not pack members and had nary accidental to contention the U.S. authorities assertion that they were. The Trump medication says it vetted migrants to guarantee they belonged to Tren de Aragua, which it labels a violent organization.

Last month, aft a justice said flights carrying migrants processed nether the Alien Enemies Act should instrumentality to the U.S., Bukele wrote "Oopsie... Too late" connected societal media alongside footage showing men being hustled disconnected a level successful the acheronian of night.

Bukele's strongman tendencies archetypal gained wide attraction internationally erstwhile helium sent equipped information forces and an ultimatum to the legislature successful aboriginal 2020 to propulsion done his information legislation. After affirmative 2021 legislative predetermination results, helium replaced judges of the law tribunal with compliant ones.

He past manoeuvred to tally for re-election, adjacent though El Salvador's constitution banned presidents from serving consecutive five-year terms.

El Salvador had 1 of the worst homicide rates successful the satellite until the past fewer years, erstwhile a important driblet has occurred.

Bukele and his supporters hail his tough-on-crime attack — immoderate estimates person astatine slightest 5 per cent of the country's antheral colonisation betwixt 14 and 29 detained — but the U.S. Treasury Department successful Joe Biden's medication alleged that Bukele's authorities secretly negotiated a truce with leaders of the gangs to quell deadly violence.

The Biden medication alleged that Bukele's authorities bought the gangs' enactment with fiscal benefits and privileges for their imprisoned leaders, including prostitutes and cellphones. Bukele has vehemently denied the accusations.

As well, the U.S. State Department successful Biden's word expressed interest astir what it called "credible reports" of quality rights abuses specified arsenic arbitrary arrest, a deficiency of owed process, torture astatine the hands of information forces and life-threatening situation conditions. 

Maryland antheral sent backmost contempt erstwhile ruling

In the lawsuit of Abrego Garcia, his lawyers said that nary national transgression oregon extradition proceeding were ever brought against him.

Abrego Garcia's woman and five-year-old lad are U.S. citizens and reside successful Maryland, the family's ineligible ailment said.

On March 12, helium was pulled implicit by ICE officers portion driving and handcuffed portion his lad was successful the backseat of the car, according to the complaint.

A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement authoritative said Abrego Garcia was wrongfully placed connected the 3rd formation to El Salvador contempt a 2019 judgement granting him extortion from deportation. 

Democrats and quality rights groups person slammed Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for a video precocious past period successful which helium appears earlier a crowded radical of tattooed men down bars successful an El Salvador prison.

Noem speaks to camera to discourage radical arriving astatine U.S. borderline points, and says, "know that this installation is 1 of the tools successful our instrumentality kit that we volition usage if you perpetrate crimes against the American people."

In the archetypal days of the administration, White House property secretary Karoline Leavitt said the medication considers immoderate unauthorized idiosyncratic successful the U.S. a "criminal." Entering the state betwixt borderline points oregon staying successful the U.S. without ineligible presumption has traditionally been considered a civilian offence.