Trump Taps DHS Deputy Secretary as Ambassador to El Salvador

El Salvador has played a high-profile role in the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement, including deportations of Venezuelan gang members.

Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Troy Edgar testifies during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Feb. 25, 2025. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Troy Edgar, the deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, has been nominated to serve as U.S. ambassador to El Salvador.

President Donald Trump announced the nomination on Dec. 16, praising Edgar’s work at DHS. Edgar served during Trump’s first term as the department’s chief financial officer and later as an associate deputy undersecretary, overseeing a roughly $90 billion budget that included funding for immigration enforcement and border wall construction.