Trump's deal that got migrants shipped to notorious El Salvador prison is only making MS-13 gang stronger: report

Original reporting: Trump Vowed to Dismantle MS-13. His Deal With Bukele Threatens That Effort.

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Source: The Independent

Trump’s deal that got migrants shipped to notorious El Salvador prison is only making MS-13 gang stronger: report

Deporting gang leaders allows them to be ‘silenced’ by Bukele, critics fear

John Bowden
in Washington, D.C.
Monday 30 June 2025 23:49 BST

Donald Trump’s efforts to maximize the punishment imposed upon migrants who illegally cross the U.S. border or otherwise run up against immigration law are now directly undermining his administration’s efforts to weaken MS-13, according to a new report.

The violent criminal gang has been a menace in parts of the United States and has also been central to GOP efforts to raise fears about migrant communities in general.

The administration used MS-13 as an example most recently to justify the deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, despite not proving any clear links between him and the gang. He was sent to the notorious CECOT prison in El Salvador before eventually being returned to the U.S. and Abrego Garcia is currently facing criminal prosecution here.

Now, a New York Times report reveals that the U.S. policy of deporting migrants like Abrego Garcia to CECOT — a headline-grabbing policy that wowed right-wing supporters of Trump’s mass deportation efforts as the White House tried to project tough consequences for illegal immigration — is actually aiding the gang’s efforts to evade justice.

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Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-el-salvador-cecot-ms13-b2779881.html

Alternate link: https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-deal-got-migrants-shipped-212827704.html