PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: The Trump administration deported another 10 violent illegal immigrants to El Salvador this past weekend, where they will be held at the country’s CECOT prison facility used to house dangerous criminals and gang members.
👥 Who’s Involved: President Donald J. Trump, President Nayib Bukele, federal immigration officials, and 10 violent criminal illegal immigrants—including five members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang.
📍 Where & When: The United States and El Salvador’s CECOT prison, the weekend of April 11-13, 2025.
💬 Key Quote: “He’s taking care of a lot of problems that we have that we really wouldn’t be able to take care of from a cost standpoint. And he’s… been amazing. We have some very bad people in that prison. People that should have never been allowed into our country,” said President Trump regarding El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele.
⚠️ Impact: The 10 new deportees join over 200 other violent illegal immigrant criminals that the Trump administration has removed from the United States and sent to El Salvador as federal immigration officials continue to enact President Trump’s mass deportation policy.
IN FULL:
Federal immigration enforcement agents removed another 10 violent, illegal immigrant criminals from the United States over the weekend, placing them aboard a government flight bound for El Salvador. The Trump White House has deported over 200 illegal immigrants who have committed violent crimes or are identified as members of dangerous gangs to the Central American nation since reaching an agreement in February with El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele to house deportees in his country’s CECOT super-prison.
Senior administration officials indicated that five of the 10 illegal immigrants—all either Venezuelan or El Salvadoran nationals—deported to CECOT were confirmed as members of the violent Tren de Aragua gang. The other five deportees were considered active threats to American citizens, having a litany of prior convictions for assault, rape, robbery, and making terroristic threats.
The latest deportations come as President Trump hosted Bukele at the White House on Monday, with the aim of further solidifying the relationship between the United States and El Salvador. Ensuring continued access and use of El Salvador’s CECOT prison is a key goal for the Trump White House, with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stating last week that thousands more illegal immigrants may soon be sent to the facility.
“I want to thank you for the great job you’re doing. I appreciate it,” Trump said during a press event with the El Salvadoran leader in the Oval Office.
Responding, President Bukele emphasized his commitment to assisting the Trump administration’s deportation actions, stating: “We’re very eager to help. We know you have a crime problem, a terrorism problem you need help with. If we can help, we can do it.”