Trump thanks Bukele for his “generosity” in custody of the U.S.’ “foreign enemies”
U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his gratitude on Saturday to his Salvadoran counterpart, Nayib Bukele, for his “generosity” in accepting and placing under custody deported immigrants from the United States, whom Trump labeled as the country’s “enemies.” He also stated that he looked forward to meeting with Bukele this Monday to continue working together on issues such as terrorism and immigration.
“President Bukele has generously accepted into his custody some of the world’s most violent foreign enemies — and in particular, enemies of the United States. These barbarians are now in the exclusive custody of El Salvador, a proud and sovereign nation, and their future rests with President (Bukele) and his government. They will never again threaten our citizens!” Trump declared in a post on his platform, Truth Social.
The former president, who said he is “looking forward” to the bilateral meeting scheduled for early next week, praised in the same message the “close cooperation” between the United States and El Salvador, noting that both countries are working toward a common goal: “To eradicate terrorist organizations and build a future of prosperity.”
These statements come just a week after Trump reiterated his desire for Salvadoran prisons to house U.S. citizens currently serving prison sentences in their home country.
This followed Trump’s February announcement that he was “studying” the possibility of deporting U.S. citizens with violent criminal records to other countries — a statement made one day after Bukele offered U.S. authorities the opportunity to “outsource part of [their] prison system” in exchange for a “relatively low fee.”
The two nations subsequently signed several immigration-related agreements, including the imprisonment of “violent illegal immigrants from any country” and the repatriation of “all Salvadoran gang members” from U.S. soil.
In fact, Bukele announced in late March the arrival of “17 extremely dangerous criminals from Tren de Aragua and MS-13 (Mara Salvatrucha),” during a “joint military operation,” and their incarceration at the Center for the Confinement of Terrorism (CECOT), a maximum-security prison in Tecoluca, El Salvador, where they will remain for at least a year.
Consequently, in early April, Trump extended an invitation to President Bukele for an official visit to the White House on April 14, to discuss their collaborative efforts in combating irregular migration.
