In a controversial statement on Monday, US President Donald Trump expressed his desire to deport certain violent criminals who are US citizens to El Salvador, where they would be incarcerated in the country’s notorious prisons under an agreement with the Salvadoran government.
Speaking to reporters during the state visit of El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, Trump outlined his intentions to send criminals, including naturalized and US-born citizens, to El Salvador.
This proposal marks one of the clearest signals from the president that he is serious about removing US citizens who commit violent crimes, a move that has raised alarms among civil rights advocates and is considered by many legal scholars to be unconstitutional.
Trump, however, emphasized that any deportations would only proceed if deemed legal by his administration. “We always have to obey the laws, but we also have homegrown criminals,” Trump said. “I’d like to include them in the group of people to get them out of the country, but you’ll have to be looking at the laws on that.”
The president’s comments followed his enthusiastic support for the idea of sending US prisoners to El Salvador, especially after President Bukele stated that his country was open to housing US criminals. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later confirmed that the proposal was under consideration, but also clarified that Trump had “simply floated” the idea.
The US has already sent several migrants, accused of criminal affiliations, to El Salvador’s infamous Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), a mega-prison known for its brutal conditions. The US government is paying El Salvador $6 million for housing these prisoners.
However, the deportation of Salvadoran national Kilmar Abrego Garcia sparked controversy when he was sent to CECOT despite a judicial order protecting him from removal.
The US Supreme Court recently ruled that the government must facilitate Garcia’s return, but there remains confusion about the extent of its authority in the matter.
Despite this ruling, the Trump administration has made it clear that it does not intend to assist in Garcia’s return from El Salvador. President Bukele also stated that he would not release or return Garcia to the US, signaling his continued support for the controversial deportation initiative.
