U.S. to Pay El Salvador $6 Million to Detain Venezuelan Gang Members

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has reached an agreement to pay El Salvador $6 million to detain about 300 alleged members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang for one year. This arrangement marks one of the initial instances of El Salvador hosting migrants from the United States.

Following discussions between El Salvador’s President, Nayib Bukele, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the government will house these gang members in a notorious prison as part of an ongoing crackdown on gang violence. Since 2022, Bukele’s administration has arrested over 84,000 individuals, sometimes without due process.

Memos related to the agreement did not clarify how the Trump administration identified the individuals as members of the Tren de Aragua gang, which was officially designated as a terrorist organization by Trump last month.

“The Republic of El Salvador confirms it will house these individuals for one year, pending the United States’ decision on their long-term disposition,” stated a memo from El Salvador’s ministry of foreign affairs, obtained by the Associated Press.

The recently established agreement could include up to $20,000 for each prisoner’s annual housing costs, with an additional $15 million potentially allocated for accommodating further gang members.

The Salvadoran memo also indicated that El Salvador would accept two men identified as members of the MS-13 gang, notorious in both the U.S. and Central America. One individual, Cesar Eliseo Sorto Amaya, was convicted of a double homicide in El Salvador before illegally entering the United States. Another man faced charges under President Biden’s administration for being a high-ranking MS-13 member.

Bukele’s administration has not yet commented on the agreement. The Tren de Aragua gang, which emerged from a Venezuelan prison, has gained international notor amid the mass exodus of Venezuelans fleeing economic turmoil over the past decade.

Although Trump and his supporters have emphasized the perceived threats posed by such gangs, concerns have been raised about the lack of evidence supporting claims that those deported to the naval base in Guantanamo Bay were members of Tren de Aragua, as asserted by U.S. officials.

On Saturday, a U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg temporarily blocked any deportations under Trump’s proclamation, scheduling a hearing for next week to evaluate arguments against the administration’s strategy.

Lee Gelernt, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union, noted that two flights potentially deported individuals to El Salvador and Honduras, with the judge mandating that any such flights return midair to the U.S.

As this story develops, further details regarding the legal implications and ramifications for the individuals involved are expected to unfold.