Sun Mar 16 14:50:00 UTC 2025: ## Trump Administration Paid El Salvador $6 Million to Imprison Alleged Gang Members
**SAN SALVADOR, EL SALVADOR** – The Trump administration secretly paid El Salvador $6 million to incarcerate approximately 300 alleged members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang for one year, according to documents obtained by the Associated Press. This marks one of the first instances of the Central American nation accepting migrants from the United States for imprisonment.
The agreement, finalized last month, followed discussions between El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The deal allocates roughly $20,000 per prisoner for their year-long detention in El Salvador’s notoriously harsh prisons. Internal memos reveal the potential for an additional $15 million transfer to house more gang members.
The memos do not detail how the Trump administration identified the 300 individuals as members of the Tren de Aragua gang, a group repeatedly labeled a terrorist organization by Trump during his campaign. El Salvador’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the agreement, stating the country will house the individuals for a year pending a U.S. decision on their long-term status.
The agreement also includes the transfer of two alleged MS-13 gang members. One, Cesar Eliseo Sorto Amaya, was previously convicted of double homicide in El Salvador before illegal re-entry into the U.S., while the other is a high-ranking MS-13 leader charged under the Biden administration.
The deal raises concerns about due process, given Bukele’s government’s human rights record, which includes arresting over 84,000 people since 2022, often without proper legal procedures. The lack of transparency surrounding the identification of the Tren de Aragua members further fuels criticism of the agreement.
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