El Salvador & Tren de Aragua

El Salvador: The number of people deported to El Salvador from the United States nearly doubled in the first months of 2026. El Salvador also received $6 million from the United States for accepting foreign criminals.

Tren de Aragua: Members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua were among the 238 Venezuelan deportees accepted and imprisoned by Nayib Bukele in El Salvador.

El Salvador: El Salvador, led by Nayib Bukele, is the proposing nation in the prisoner swap. It faces international scrutiny for its detention of deportees and human rights concerns related to its 'mega-prison'.

Tren de Aragua: Tren de Aragua is a Venezuelan gang that Nayib Bukele claims some of the detained deportees are part of, justifying their imprisonment.

El Salvador: El Salvador is the destination for the deportees, and its president, Nayib Bukele, publicly acknowledged their arrival despite a U.S. judge's order to turn the planes around.

Tren de Aragua: Tren de Aragua is a Venezuelan gang that Donald Trump claimed was invading the United States, which he used as a justification for invoking the Alien Enemies Act.

El Salvador: Some Venezuelans targeted under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 have reportedly been deported to El Salvador and housed in its notorious main prison.

Tren de Aragua: The Trump administration accused some Venezuelan detainees of being members of the Tren de Aragua gang, using this as a justification for their swift removal under the Alien Enemies Act of 1798.

El Salvador: El Salvador facilitated the prisoner swap by releasing Venezuelan migrants in its custody, receiving $6 million from the United States for housing them.

Tren de Aragua: The Tren de Aragua street gang was accused by the Donald Trump administration of having members among the deported Venezuelans, though no evidence was provided.

El Salvador: El Salvador is where migrants deported by the United States were sent, as part of a deal that secured the release of Americans jailed in Venezuela.

Tren de Aragua: Tren de Aragua is a Venezuelan crime syndicate that Nicolás Maduro is accused of collaborating with to bring drugs and violence into the United States.

Tren de Aragua: Tren de Aragua is a Venezuelan gang that Donald Trump's administration claimed was invading the United States, which was the basis for invoking the Alien Enemies Act. The judge found their activities did not meet the legal definition of an 'invasion'.