Controversial $6M Deal: El Salvador to House Alleged Gang Members for the US

The Trump administration will pay El Salvador USD 6 million to confine 300 alleged Tren de Aragua gang members for a year. This follows an agreement between El Salvador and the US concerning housing migrants. Legal actions in the US may stall the deportation deal involving the gang members.

The Trump administration has struck a deal with El Salvador, agreeing to pay USD 6 million to imprison 300 alleged Venezuelan gang members for a year. This marks one of the initial moves where El Salvador accepts migrants from the United States.

The arrangement follows discussions between El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to house migrants in El Salvador's infamous prisons. Since 2022, Bukele's government has been aggressively targeting gang violence, arresting over 84,000 individuals, sometimes bypassing due process.

The legality of the deal is under question as the American Civil Liberties Union has launched a lawsuit, challenging immediate deportations under the Alien Enemies Act. A US District Judge has temporarily blocked the deportations, pending further hearings.

(With inputs from agencies.)