The US and El Salvador have agreed on an unprecedented deal that will allow the US to send violent criminals from any nationality to be housed in El Salvador’s prisons. The agreement, announced by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, has sparked alarm among critics and human rights groups.
Under the deal, El Salvador will accept deportees who illegally entered the US, as well as any illegal alien in the US who is a criminal from any nationality. This includes members of notorious transnational gangs such as MS-13 and Tren de Aragua. The country will also house dangerous American criminals in custody in its jails.
However, concerns have been raised about the legality of such moves. A law professor at UC Berkeley stated that the US government is “absolutely prohibited from deporting US citizens, whether they are incarcerated or not.”
El Salvador’s mega-prisons, which have a maximum capacity of 40,000 inmates, will be used to house these inmates. The country has been credited with reducing gang violence since launching a crackdown in 2022.
However, human rights organizations have criticized the treatment of prisoners in El Salvador’s prisons as inhumane. The State Department’s travel advisory warns that those imprisoned face “harsh” conditions without access to due process.
The agreement has also sparked criticism from Latino advocacy groups and scholars. A prominent group stated it was a “sad day for America,” while an international politics scholar described the proposal as “bizarre and unprecedented.”
The move comes amid a swift immigration crackdown by the Trump administration, which includes a recommendation that the State Department designate Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization.
Source: https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/03/americas/el-salvador-migrant-deal-marco-rubio-intl-hnk/index.html