Estados Unidos sent 17 “violent criminals” from the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 gangs to El Salvador on Sunday, according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
- Gangs Involved: The Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and the Salvadoran-founded MS-13 have been declared global “terrorist organizations” by Washington.
- Operation Description: Rubio described the transfer as a successful “anti-terrorism operation” conducted with El Salvador’s allies to protect US citizens.
- President Bukele’s Statement: The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, confirmed that all 17 are “confirmed killers and high-profile criminals, including six child molesters.”
The US government under President Donald Trump has already expelled more than 200 Venezuelans this month using the Alien Enemies Act, despite a temporary court order halting deportations under this 18th-century law previously used only in times of war.
@SecRubio: Today, we deported 17 violent MS-13 & Tren de Aragua members from the US to El Salvador as part of our ongoing efforts to protect Americans from transnational criminal and terrorist organizations.
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) December 5, 2023
Bukele, popular for his crackdown on gangs in El Salvador, expressed gratitude to Rubio for “unmatched collaboration” against transnational crime and terrorism.
Many of the Venezuelans sent to El Salvador have been confined at the Counter-Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot), a large prison recently visited by US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro denounced these transfers as “kidnappings” and claimed his countrymen were sent to a “Nazi concentration camp” in El Salvador. Trump’s decrees label members of Tren de Aragua as enemies of war, blaming the “hostile regime” of Maduro for sending gang members to the US.
