El Salvador and the United States, through Minister of Justice and Public Security Gustavo Villatoro and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, signed an updated Cooperation Memorandum for the Safe Aliens from Fugitives (SAFE) Alliance. This agreement is part of the bilateral efforts to combat illegal migration, enhance border security, and promote a safer region.

“This agreement ensures that the criminal backgrounds of fugitives are shared between the United States and El Salvador, so that criminals are not inadvertently released into U.S. communities,” explained Noem.

The SAFE program, established in 2012 by the U.S. Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), helps locate, capture, detain, and remove individuals who are illegally in the U.S. and have arrest warrants abroad. The program operates primarily in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

Before signing the agreement, Secretary Noem met with President Nayib Bukele, thanking El Salvador for its cooperation on migration issues. “I want to thank El Salvador and its president for their collaboration with the United States,” she said.

Noem’s visit also included a tour of the Center for Terrorism Confinement (Cecot) in Tecoluca, San Vicente. During her visit, Noem issued a warning to those who enter the U.S. illegally. “If you don’t leave now, we will hunt you down, arrest you, and you may end up in this Salvadoran prison,” she said.

Noem’s trip came just days after the deportation of 238 criminals from the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and 23 MS-13 members to Cecot. “Secretary Kristi Noem saw them firsthand today at the Salvadoran terrorist detention center,” the Department of Homeland Security reported.