More than 200 alleged members of the Gang Tren de Aragua, from Venezuela, were deported by the United States and sent to El Salvador, where they were taken to a high security arrest, according to President Salvadoran himself, Nayib Bukele, on Sunday (16).
The deportations occurred after US President Donald Trump, summoning on Friday (14) the Law of Foreign Enemies of 1798, in order to facilitate the process of removal of immigrants.
But why are the US sending Venezuelan immigrants to El Salvador, instead of returning them to Venezuela?
Why weren’t immigrants sent to Venezuela?
Countries such as Cuba and Venezuela have cold relations with the US and in the past have limited the number of deportes they will accept – although Trump earned earlier that Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro agreed to accept back the citizens of his country.
The Venezuelan government even published an official statement after the confirmation of the deportation of immigrants to El Salvador, in which it declares “deep indignation.”
“Venezuela rejects the application of an illegal anachronistic law that violates human rights against our migrants,” said the Venezuela government, adding its “profound outrage at the threat of sequestration of 14 -year -olds.”
The country’s administration has also made appeals to the international community, especially the community of the Latin American and Caribbean states (Celac), to mobilize against what called the dangerous precedent against the entire region.
Why El Salvador?
The explanation is partially financially. According to an internal memorandum seen by the Associated Press, the United States must pay $ 6 million to El Salvador for the arrest of 300 alleged members of the group for a period of one year, which can be renewed.
“The rate would be relatively low for the US, but significant for us, making our entire prison system sustainable,” Bukele wrote in an X post when the proposal was initially made to US authorities.
Immigrants have been transferred to the terrorism confinement center, a megaprinion that can house up to 40,000 detainees.
The agreement had previously been signaled by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said last month that the country’s government offered to host “dangerous criminals” deported from the United States in their arrests.
President Salvadoran, Nayib Bukele, is seen by the Trump administration as a key ally in his immigration efforts in the region.
Bukele launched in his country a security campaign based on intense repression, holding over 80,000 people and drastically reducing the number of homicides. Its policies are credited by Washington for reducing the number of salvadors seeking to enter illegally in the US.
Bukele’s growing control over power allowed him to restore peace in the streets of El Salvador, which have already been dominated by gangs. But that had a cost. Some constitutional rights, such as due process of law, were suspended under emergency, leading to a massive increase in arrests and protests of human rights groups.
With information from Reuters.
Was this content originally published in why are US immigrants to El Salvador and not to Venezuela? on the CNN Brazil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
