Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that seventeen members of foreign gangs have been deported to El Salvador. The individuals were part of Tren de Aragua and MS-13.
“Last night, in a successful counter-terrorism operation with our allies in El Salvador, the United States military transferred a group of 17 violent criminals from the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 organizations, including murderers and rapists,” Rubio said in a statement. “In order to keep the American people safe, President Trump designated the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. These criminals will no longer terrorize our communities and citizens.”
Rubio noted that the United States extends its “gratitude to President Bukele and the government of El Salvador for their unparalleled partnership in making our countries safe against transnational crime and terrorism.”
Bukele said the gang members were “extremely dangerous criminals.”
“All individuals are confirmed murderers and high-profile offenders, including six child rapists,” he wrote on X. “This operation is another step in the fight against terrorism and organized crime.”
Bukele announced earlier this month that El Salvador accepted 238 deported members of the Tren de Aragua from the United States.
In January, President Trump designated certain international cartels and other groups as Foreign Terrorist Organizations.
“The Cartels functionally control, through a campaign of assassination, terror, rape, and brute force nearly all illegal traffic across the southern border of the United States,” the order said. “In certain portions of Mexico, they function as quasi-governmental entities, controlling nearly all aspects of society. The Cartels’ activities threaten the safety of the American people, the security of the United States, and the stability of the international order in the Western Hemisphere. Their activities, proximity to, and incursions into the physical territory of the United States pose an unacceptable national security risk to the United States.”
The Department of Justice (DOJ) recently invoked the state secrets privilege in its ongoing legal battle concerning the removal of Venezuelan gang members from the United States.
