Trump Administration Forges Unprecedented Agreement to Detain Alleged Gang Members
In a significant shift in immigration enforcement strategy, the Trump administration has reached an agreement to pay El Salvador $6 million to detain approximately 300 deported migrants, including alleged members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang. This marks one of the first instances where the Central American nation has accepted migrants deported from the United States.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the arrangement, stating that the funding will cover “the cost of detaining approximately 300 alleged gang members in El Salvador’s high-security prisons for one year.”
The deal emerged following high-level diplomatic discussions between El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, signaling deepened cooperation on immigration enforcement between the two nations.
Legal challenges mount against deportation policies
The agreement comes amid intensifying legal battles over President Donald Trump’s expanded deportation initiatives. Civil rights organizations have moved quickly to challenge these policies in court.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Democracy Forward preemptively sued the administration, arguing that five Venezuelan men detained in Texas were at “imminent risk of removal” under the rarely-used Alien Enemies Act. In response, a US District Judge temporarily blocked any deportations under Trump’s proclamation for two weeks pending further legal review.
Despite this judicial intervention, evidence suggests deportation operations have continued. ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt indicated that two flights carrying deportees operated on Saturday, with at least one confirmed to have landed in El Salvador. Though the judge ordered any such flights to return midair to the United States, verification of compliance remains unclear.
Targeting Tren de Aragua
Internal memos obtained by the Associated Press reveal that the Trump administration has identified approximately 300 individuals as alleged members of Tren de Aragua, a violent criminal organization with origins in Venezuelan prisons. The administration recently designated this group as a “foreign terrorist organization,” providing legal justification for expedited removals.
However, questions remain about the criteria being used to classify individuals as gang members, as the administration has not publicly disclosed its methodology for these determinations.
El Salvador’s role and responsibilities
According to documentation from El Salvador’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the country has committed to detaining these individuals for one year while the US government determines their long-term status. The agreement also includes provisions for El Salvador to accept two alleged MS-13 gang members, including Cesar Eliseo Sorto Amaya, previously convicted of double homicide in El Salvador before illegally entering the United States.
El Salvador’s prison system has gained international attention under President Bukele’s administration for its severe approach to incarceration. Human rights organizations note that the country has detained over 84,000 people in recent years, often with limited due process protections.
The arrangement represents a novel approach to immigration enforcement, leveraging international partnerships to address what the Trump administration characterizes as an urgent national security concern.