Trump Sends Members of the Tren de Aragua to Bukele's Mega-Prison in El Salvador

In an unprecedented decision, former US President Donald Trump has announced the deportation of several members of the Tren de Aragua to the mega-prison built by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele. This measure, according to sources close to the White House, is part of a broader security cooperation strategy between the two countries.

The Aragua Train, the feared Venezuelan-born criminal organization, has expanded its presence throughout Latin America and has been implicated in multiple crimes, including drug trafficking, extortion, and homicide. Trump, who has repeatedly praised Bukele's "iron fist" policy, now seeks to rely on the Salvadoran model to combat transnational crime.

Bukele welcomes the decision
For his part, the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, expressed his gratitude for the measure through his X (formerly Twitter) account, stating that his country is ready to receive deported criminals and asserting that "the mega-prison was made for people like them."

In his message, Bukele reiterated his commitment to keeping the country safe and relentless against organized crime. "There are no privileges here. The era of impunity is over," he stated.

A New Model for Security Cooperation?
With this deportation, the Trump administration is taking an important step toward a policy of expedited extradition of dangerous criminals to countries with stricter prison policies. This, however, could draw criticism from international human rights organizations, which have questioned the conditions inside the Salvadoran prison.

As more details about the operation become known, political analysts suggest that this move could strengthen Trump's image in his law-and-order rhetoric, especially ahead of the elections.

For now, Salvadoran authorities have confirmed that the inmates will be transferred under strict security protocols and subject to the same conditions as the rest of the inmates at the mega-prison.

Today, the first 238 members of the #Venezuelan criminal organization, #TrendeAragua, arrived in our country. They were immediately transferred to CECOT, the Terrorism Confinement Center, for a period of one year (renewable). The United States will pay a very low fee for them,… pic.twitter.com/jrLCTpLyWM — K13 News (@K13News) March 17, 2025