Rubio says El Salvador will accept US criminal deportees

Eric Martin, Bloomberg News on Feb 3, 2025

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U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Monday that El Salvador had offered to accept criminal deportees from the United States who come from anywhere in the world, including American citizens.

President Nayib Bukele, “in an act of extraordinary friendship to our country, knowing the challenges we face in the U.S., has agreed to the most unprecedented and extraordinary migratory agreement anywhere in the world,” Rubio said.

The secretary, on a tour of Latin America, said after a meeting with Bukele that included “those of U.S. citizenship and legal residence.”

“More details will be forthcoming,” he added.

President Donald Trump has been seeking deals with countries across Latin America to accept people removed from the U.S. as part of the administration’s deportation campaign. They include a promise made last week by Venezuela to allow flights carrying its citizens.

The statement raised the immediate legal question regarding the legality of expelling American citizens.

“I spoke to President Trump about this earlier today, and it’s just one more sign what an incredible friend we have here with Bukele,” Rubio said.

Bukele has made no secret of his desire for an even closer relationship with Trump, and officials had signaled such a deal was in the works. Bukele received praise from White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller as a “very great and strong partner” after he offered “tremendous degrees of cooperation” on migration.