Tren de Aragua Gang Members Arrive in El Salvador Following Deportation
The Tren de Aragua gang members banished by Trump have been transferred to a mega-jail in El Salvador, following a U.S.-El Salvador agreement. President Bukele and Trump criticize Biden’s policies, linking the deportation to failures in managing gang crime in the U.S. The Tren de Aragua is deemed a significant threat, with properties in organized crime across borders.
Members of the Tren de Aragua gang, recently deported by former President Donald Trump, have arrived in El Salvador’s notorious mega-jail. A total of 238 alleged members of this Venezuelan criminal organization were expelled, as confirmed by El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, who documented their arrival through dramatic videos. They were immediately transferred to a maximum-security facility with a capacity of 40,000 inmates, highlighting the country’s stringent stance against gang crime.
Trump commented on the event via social media, expressing gratitude towards President Bukele for addressing the threat posed by the Tren de Aragua, which he directly linked to President Biden’s policies. He criticized the current administration for allowing these individuals into the U.S., framing the deportations as a necessary response to a failure in leadership. Trump previously oversaw deportations involving members of other gangs, such as MS-13, before the new developments took place.
The massive deportation happened shortly after a federal judge placed a temporary hold on an order that would allow rapid removal of gang members without court proceedings. The timing of these flights was apparently deemed unaffected by the judge’s ruling, as the planes were in transit to El Salvador, thus not requiring them to return, according to Trump’s team.
An extraordinary agreement between the U.S. and El Salvador facilitated the transfer of dangerous criminals to mega-jails in Central America. Secretary of State Marco Rubio highlighted this deal as unprecedented, enabling the deportation of not only local criminals but also those convicted in the U.S. Bukele confirmed that El Salvador would only accept convicted criminals and charge a nominal fee for their incarceration.
The Tren de Aragua is classified as a transnational criminal organization by U.S. authorities, boasting an estimated 5,000 members. Originally formed as a prison gang, it evolved into a broader criminal network involved in drug trafficking and gold mining, yielding significant profits from illegal activities. Its notorious leader, Hector Guerrero Flores, escaped during a raid aimed at reclaiming the prison from gang control, where there had been facilities such as a nightclub and a zoo.
The arrival of Tren de Aragua gang members in El Salvador underlines the ongoing battle against transnational crime, emphasizing the roles of both U.S. and Salvadoran leadership in addressing these threats. This operation illustrates a significant bilateral agreement regarding criminal deportations, raising questions about the effectiveness and implications of such policies in combating organized crime on a broader scale.
Original Source: www.thesun.co.uk
