U.S. transfers Tren de Aragua, MS-13 members to El Salvador’s mega-prison

El Salvador has received the first group of alleged members of the Venezuelan criminal organization Tren de Aragua under a new arrangement with the United States, President Nayib Bukele announced on Sunday.

Bukele confirmed in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) that 238 members of Tren de Aragua arrived in El Salvador, where they were immediately transferred to the Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) for an initial one-year period, which can be renewed. “The United States will pay a very low fee for them, but a high one for us,” he stated.

The transfer is part of an arrangement that Bukele has previously described as a way to make El Salvador’s prison system self-sustaining. According to the president, the country’s prisons currently cost $200 million per year to operate.

He said that, alongside housing foreign inmates, the ‘Zero Idleness program’—through which more than 40,000 inmates engage in labor and workshops—will contribute to the financial sustainability of the system.

In addition to the Tren de Aragua members, Bukele confirmed that the U.S. has also transferred 23 alleged MS-13 members wanted by Salvadoran authorities. Among them are two high-ranking leaders, including a member of the gang’s highest structure.

“This will help us finalize intelligence gathering and go after the last remnants of MS-13, including its former and new members, money, weapons, drugs, hideouts, collaborators, and sponsors,” Bukele said.

El Salvador’s agreement to take in convicted criminals from other countries was first announced by Bukele in February following discussions with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The initiative allows El Salvador to house foreign inmates, including convicted U.S. citizens, in exchange for a fee from the U.S. government. The deal, which Rubio described as “unprecedented,” was part of broader discussions between the two nations, which also included an agreement on strategic nuclear cooperation.

CECOT, the high-security prison where the transferred inmates will be held, is a central component of Bukele’s anti-gang strategy. Designed to house up to 40,000 inmates, the facility has been used to detain thousands of gang members since its inauguration in 2023.

While the Bukele administration has claimed it as a model for controlling organized crime, human rights groups have raised concerns about the conditions inside the facility and the broader implications of Bukele’s security policies.

Bukele framed the latest transfers as a step forward in both national and international security efforts. “As always, we continue advancing in the fight against organized crime. But this time, we are also helping our allies, making our prison system self-sustainable, and obtaining vital intelligence to make our country an even safer place. All in a single action,” he stated.

Rubio commented on the announcement, saying “Thank you for your assistance and friendship, President Bukele.”