The US will pay El Salvador $6 million to hold 300 members of a Venezuelan gang in prison
Kyiv • UNN
The Trump administration has struck a deal with El Salvador to house 300 members of a Venezuelan gang in prison. Washington will pay $6 million a year to keep the detainees.
The administration of US President Donald Trump has reached an agreement with the government of El Salvador to house approximately 300 suspected members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua in a prison in the Central American country. This is reported by AP, reports UNN.
Details
According to reports, Washington will pay El Salvador $6 million for one year of detention. This is one of the first times a country in the region has agreed to accept migrants detained in the United States.
The decision was made after negotiations between Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The prison where the suspects will be held is known for its harsh conditions and is part of Bukele's large-scale campaign against organized crime. Since 2022, his government has arrested more than 84,000 people, often without trial, drawing criticism from human rights activists.
It remains unclear how the Trump administration identified these individuals as members of Tren de Aragua. The gang, which originated in a Venezuelan prison, has expanded its operations in several Latin American countries. During the presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly used it as an example of the threat of illegal immigration, and last month officially recognized Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization.
According to the US Department of Justice, among those transferred to El Salvador are individuals accused of serious crimes. One of them, Cesar Eliseo Sorto Amaya, was convicted of double murder in El Salvador before being apprehended while illegally crossing the US border. Another prisoner was identified by the Joe Biden administration as one of the leaders of the MS-13 gang.
Official San Salvador has not yet commented on the agreement. At the same time, the Venezuelan government denies the existence of Tren de Aragua, claiming that the gang has been liquidated. Authorities in several countries report arrests of its members, while Caracas continues to refuse to accept deportees from the United States, except in isolated cases.
In recent weeks, about 350 Venezuelans have been deported to their homeland, including 180 who spent up to 16 days at the US Naval Base in Guantanamo. The Trump administration claimed that they belonged to Tren de Aragua, but no specific evidence was presented to support this.
Official Caracas has not yet commented on the agreement between the US and El Salvador.