U.S. President Donald Trump has highlighted cooperation with El Salvador as part of his administration’s broader approach to immigration enforcement and security, drawing renewed attention to the agreement that enabled the transfer of individuals identified by U.S. authorities as members of transnational criminal organizations.
In a recent Truth Social post, Trump pointed to the Salvadoran partnership while describing his administration’s deportation efforts and linking them to his broader security agenda. His comments underscore the role that El Salvador has assumed in Washington’s regional strategy concerning criminal organizations and deportations.
The cooperation became particularly visible in March 2025, when the Trump administration announced the transfer of 238 alleged Tren de Aragua members and 23 MS-13 members to El Salvador. The White House said the individuals were sent to Salvadoran custody under an arrangement in which El Salvador agreed to hold them in its prisons.
The transferred individuals were held at the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT), El Salvador’s high-security detention facility. The Trump administration has presented the arrangement with President Nayib Bukele’s government as part of its efforts to address transnational criminal organizations and strengthen immigration enforcement.
For El Salvador, the agreement has placed its security and detention infrastructure within a broader international discussion over migration enforcement and cooperation against organized crime. The partnership continues to represent a significant element of the security relationship between San Salvador and Washington.