A. M. US President Donald Trump plans to receive his salvadoran counterpart, Nayib Bukele, in Washington next month. The meeting will take place after Bukele agreed to imprison hundreds of alleged Venezuelan gang members deported from the United States. Although the date has not yet been set, Bukele would become the first Western Hemisphere leader to formally visit the White House under the current administration, reports Bloomberg.
Bukele has sought closer ties with Trump and, in february, offered to receive deported criminals of any nationality in exchange for an undisclosed fee. His proposal followed a visit by Secretary of State Marco Rubio to San Salvador, where he promised to encourage investment in the Central American country.
The immigration issue has generated controversy in U.S. courts, especially after Bukele accepted the expulsion of more than 200 alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. A federal judge temporarily blocked the deportations, but the Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to allow the measure to continue without prior hearings.
To reinforce the administration’s stance, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem recently visited the Centro de Contención del Terrorismo (CECOT) in El Salvador, the largest prison in the hemisphere, and recorded a video in front of inmates. The image served as a message about the harshness of immigration and security policies.
Bukele has already demonstrated closeness with the Trump administration. He attended his inauguration and, in February, participated as a speaker at CPAC, a major conservative conference outside Washington. With this official visit, both leaders seek to consolidate a key alliance in the region.
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