President Donald Trump has officially invited El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele to the White House for an official working visit on April 14, 2025. The invitation, shared by Bukele, praised El Salvador’s aggressive crackdown on gang violence and support of Trump’s renewed efforts to stop illegal immigration.
In his letter, President Trump specifically lauded Bukele’s cooperation in detaining members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang and the notorious MS-13 at El Salvador’s newly built Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT). Trump stated, “With the assistance of friends like you, we have made great progress in protecting Americans from illegal border activity.”
Bukele’s acceptance of deportees tied to violent gang activity has become a key part of Trump’s immigration and security strategy. CECOT, a maximum-security prison unveiled in 2023, now houses hundreds of gang-affiliated migrants deported from the United States under the authority of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act. The administration has ramped up deportation flights in 2025, with the latest in March transporting 17 violent offenders, including child rapists and confirmed murderers.
Trump thanked Bukele for his commitment, saying he appreciated Bukele for “taking the criminals that were so stupidly allowed, by the Crooked Joe Biden Administration, to enter our Country, and giving them such a wonderful place to live.”
El Salvador and the United States also deepened their law enforcement collaboration through a newly signed Memorandum of Cooperation, which enhances the Security Alliance for Fugitive Enforcement (SAFE). This agreement allows real-time sharing of criminal records between the two nations, aimed at preventing the release of dangerous fugitives.
Last week, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited the CECOT facility as part of her regional tour. Her visit was aimed at strengthening ties and reinforcing U.S. efforts to combat transnational crime across Latin America. The U.S. Embassy stated that her presence demonstrated a strong American commitment to regional security.
President Bukele has acknowledged that housing these deported criminals places a high burden on El Salvador but views it as an investment in regional stability. Venezuela’s socialist government, meanwhile, condemned the deportation policy, likening it to “slavery” and “Nazi concentration camps.”
According to local reports, El Salvador has received 22 deportation flights from the U.S. in 2025, all carrying Salvadoran nationals who entered the U.S. illegally and are linked to violent gangs.
