Noem Visits El Salvador Prison Holding Alleged Venezuelan Gang Members Deported by US

The homeland security secretary also plans to meet with El Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele to discuss how to increase the number of deportation flights.

Prisoners watch behind bars as U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, accompanied by Minister of Justice and Public Security Gustavo Villatoro (R), tours the Terrorist Confinement Center (CECOT) in Tecoluca, El Salvador, on March 26, 2025. Alex Brandon/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has kicked off her three-day trip to El Salvador, Mexico, and Colombia to tour the prisons that are holding Venezuelan illegal immigrants, including alleged gang members, recently deported by the United States.

Noem landed in Comalapa, El Salvador, on the afternoon of March 26 to take an inside look at the city’s maximum-security prison.