The Trump administration is reportedly negotiating a deal with its Salvadorean counterpart for the latter to receive deportees from third countries, CBS News reported.
Concretely, the governments are working on an agreement for the Central American nation to be designated as a "safe third country." It would entail it taking migrants from other countries and prevent them from requesting asylum in the U.S.
The countries had worked on such an agreement during the first Trump term, but the plan was never implemented and it was terminated by the Biden administration.
Among the plan's provisions is the possibility for the U.S. to send suspected members of Venezuelan-born gang Tren de Aragua, which has repeatedly made headlines during the past months, especially after Trump singled it out to illustrate his claims about perils of undocumented immigrants in the U.S.
It is unclear how the Bukele administration would handle the alleged criminals, but the country has heavily cracked down on the domestic-born MS-13, incarcerating tens of thousands of people in mega-prisons throughout the country.
Bukele published on Thursday a White House statement about a conversation he had with Trump. "he two leaders discussed working together to stop illegal immigration and crack down on transnational gangs like Tren de Aragua. President Trump also praised President Bukele's leadership in the region and the example he sets for other nations in the Western Hemisphere;" the brief text reads. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to visit El Salvador this week as part of his first tour in the post.
Another country seemingly open to take deportees from third countries is Guatemala, as the administration of Bernardo Arevalo de Leon seeks to have smooth relations with Trump.
Concretely, Guatemala would receive citizens from other Central American nations, which constitute a large portion of those making their way up north. "We want to be part of the solution," a Guatemalan official who requested anonymity told Reuters in December.
In contrast, Honduran President Xiomara Castro is threatening to shut down the U.S. military base in the country if the administration carries out mass deportations of the country's nationals.
Colombia's Gustavo Petro engaged in a tense standoff with its U.S. counterpart after denying the entry of two American aircraft carrying Colombian migrants, claiming he would only accept them once the U.S. government "establishes protocols that guarantee dignity and rights to the deportees."
Trump responded to Petro's decision by announcing tariffs of up to 50% on Colombian imports and immediate visa sanctions for people associated with the Colombian government. Petro promptly announced he would match the tariff and went on a tirade against the U.S. The standoff ended on Sunday night after Colombia agreed to take the deportees.
Regardless, Latin American countries have called for an "emergency" meeting at the CELAC bloc following the events, with migration and "Latin American and Caribbean unity" as two of the three points in the agenda.
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