A group of military contractors pitched the White House a plan to largely expand deportations to El Salvador and potentially avoid ongoing legal challenges: declaring part of the country as U.S. territory.
It is unclear whether the White House is considering the proposal, first reported by Politico, but the group has held multiple talks with Trump administration officials, the outlet said. It added that the issue would likely be discussed with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele during his visit to the White House on Monday.
Trump officials told the outlet that there have already been discussions about the U.S. owning part of the CECOT prison complex, and the plan would seek to get "dangerous people as far away from the continental U.S. as possible."
The possibility is being discussed as President Donald Trump continues to float the possibility of taking U.S. citizens to prisons in El Salvador, a move that experts say is illegal.
In an interview with Fox News host Rachel Campos Duffy, Trump reiterated his interest in removing what he called "home-grown criminals" from American communities—individuals he accused of committing violent acts like subway shoving attacks and unprovoked assaults. "We are looking into it and we want to do it. I would love to do that," Trump said.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed during a press briefing that the administration is looking into the legality of such a move, specifying it would target the most dangerous, repeat offenders.
Bukele offered to detain more criminals, including U.S. citizens, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio describing the proposal as a generous one, highlighting the high costs of keeping prisoners in American jails.
The Trump administration is already paying Bukele $6 million to detain more than 200 undocumented immigrants with alleged gang ties in CECOT. Human rights advocates argue that most of the migrants sent to El Salvador do not have a criminal record.
Looking at U.S. citizens specifically, legal experts say it is without a doubt "unconstitutional," even in the case of violent criminals. "A North American citizen born in the United States cannot be deported or expelled due to protections provided by the 14th Amendment in the Constitution," immigration attorney Claudia Bernal told Telemundo. Moreover, Axios noted that the Eight Amendment bars "cruel and unusual" punishments.
Constitutional lawyer Joseph Malouf added that a U.S. citizen prisoner could only be taken to a foreign prison if he were to agree to serve his sentence abroad. Otherwise, "it wouldn't be legal to remove them against their will."
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