Trump Outsources Prison Space in Controversial Deportation Deal

ByMaya Harborlight

President Donald Trump is set to host El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele at the White House today in a meeting that solidifies an unusual alliance centered on the outsourcing of immigrant detention. Since March, El Salvador has accepted over 200 Venezuelan immigrants and dozens of Salvadorans deported from the United States, housing them in the notorious maximum-security prison known as CECOT, just outside the capital city of San Salvador.

The partnership marks a significant development in Trump’s deportation strategy, with Bukele positioning El Salvador as a paid contractor willing to incarcerate foreign nationals that the U.S. administration claims are gang members but for whom little evidence has been publicly provided. The meeting comes amid growing criticism from human rights organizations and federal courts over the legality and ethics of the arrangement.

Photo Source: Tribunal Supremo Electoral El Salvador/WikimediaCommons

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The “For-Profit Prison” Across Borders

The agreement between the two countries effectively transforms El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) into an offshore detention facility for individuals deported from the United States. Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised the relationship Sunday, stating that the Trump-Bukele alliance “has become an example for security and prosperity in our hemisphere,” according to The Guardian.

Trump has been effusive in his praise of Bukele, referring to him as “President B” on social media and commending him for “graciously” accepting “some of the most violent alien enemies of the World and, in particular, the United States.” During comments to reporters, the President added: “I think he’s doing a fantastic job. 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.”

Immigration experts note the arrangement creates a new model for U.S. immigration enforcement, effectively outsourcing detention to a foreign government with a documented history of human rights concerns. The Trump administration has not disclosed how much it is paying El Salvador to house these detainees.

The Case of the Maryland Resident Caught in the Crossfire

The controversial partnership has come under additional scrutiny due to the case of Kilmar Abrego García, a 29-year-old Salvadoran with a valid U.S. work permit who was erroneously deported to El Salvador in March. Despite the Supreme Court ordering the government to “facilitate” his return, Trump administration attorneys argued in court filings Sunday that they have no obligation to help extract him from El Salvador’s prison system.

“The high court’s order to ‘facilitate’ his return meant we should ‘remove any domestic obstacles that would otherwise impede the alien’s ability to return here,’ not help extract him from El Salvador,” administration lawyers stated. This interpretation could set up another high-profile confrontation between the administration and federal judiciary, according to CNN.

The White House has admitted García’s deportation resulted from an “administrative error.” He now resides in CECOT alongside hundreds of others, including 238 Venezuelans and 23 Salvadorans deported under the bilateral agreement. While the administration claims these individuals are terrorists or violent criminals, government lawyers have often cited only tattoos or clothing allegedly linked to gangs as evidence.

The “World’s Coolest Dictator” Meets Trump

Bukele, who has called himself “the world’s coolest dictator” and the “philosopher king,” won reelection by a landslide last year after implementing a fierce crackdown on gangs that transformed security in El Salvador, albeit at the expense of civil liberties. His approach has earned criticism from international human rights organizations while cementing his popularity at home.

The 43-year-old leader has become one of the closest foreign partners of the new Trump administration, which has alienated some traditional U.S. allies in its early days. Bukele’s Justice and Public Security Minister recently released a highly produced video showing ten deportees who arrived over the weekend being loaded off a plane and marched into the prison in shackles.

The Trump administration has relied on the Alien Enemies Act, a centuries-old law permitting summary deportations in times of war, to deport some individuals to El Salvador. The Supreme Court said last week the administration could continue using this law for now, despite challenges from civil liberties groups.

A New Template for Immigration Policy

As the White House prepares to welcome Bukele, the visit underscores a potential new template for Trump’s immigration enforcement: partnering with foreign leaders willing to detain deportees in exchange for American financial support and diplomatic backing. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt emphasized that “cooperation is at an all-time high” between the countries.

The meeting takes on additional significance as the administration pursues its goal of deporting as many as one million undocumented immigrants before the end of Trump’s first year back in office. With federal facilities already strained, partnerships like the one with El Salvador could become a cornerstone of the administration’s mass deportation strategy, regardless of the human rights concerns such arrangements may raise.

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