Could US Deportations Compromise Trump Administration’s MS13 Crackdown?

The Trump administration’s decision to return a high-profile gang boss facing terrorism charges to El Salvador as part of a controversial effort to deport hundreds of Venezuelan citizens could signal the US government’s willingness to compromise its longstanding MS13 crackdown in favor of mass deportation.

The expulsion flights began after the Trump administration invoked an obscure wartime law from the 18th century to loosen restrictions on deporting suspected members of the Venezuelan gang, which was recently declared a terrorist organization by the US State Department alongside the MS13 and several Mexican crime groups.

The El Salvador government has agreed to house the deported Venezuelans in a maximum security prison for a reported fee of $6 million, despite the US authorities’ own admission that they have no clear evidence of their gang affiliation. The trade also included the return of López Larios and 22 alleged MS13 members wanted by Salvadoran authorities.

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