US to Pay El Salvador $6 Million to Imprison 300 Illegal Immigrant Gang Members for a Year

Trump also signed a proclamation invoking an 18th-century law called the Alien Enemies Act to further target the Tren de Aragua gang.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) meets with El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele at his residence at Lake Coatepeque in El Congo municipality, El Salvador, on Feb. 3, 2025. Mark Schiefelbein/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

The Trump administration is set to pay El Salvador $6 million to hold about 300 alleged members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang and two alleged members of the MS-13 gang in its prisons for a year. Both gangs have been designated as terrorist organizations.

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele recently offered to take in and house criminal illegal immigrants in his infamous prison for a price. The offer was made as part of an agreement between Bukele and Secretary of State Marco Rubio during Rubio’s first diplomatic mission of his term.