US EditionTrump administration's $4.7M contract for El Salvador prison revealed
El Salvador received $4.76 million to detain 300 alleged Venezuelan gang members at CECOT prison, amid lawsuits challenging deportation practices under the Alien Enemies Act.
- In March 2025, the Trump administration reached an agreement to provide $4.76 million to El Salvador for the confinement of 238 Venezuelan men at the CECOT prison for a period of up to one year.
- This deal followed Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele's February offer to house convicted criminals, including alleged U.S. gang members, in exchange for a fee.
- The agreement barred using funds for asylum assistance, reproductive care, or diversity programs, and these men faced reported torture and abuse while detained.
- A lawsuit filed by advocacy organizations led to the public release of the agreement, prompting Senator Chris Van Hollen to denounce it as a "corrupt bargain" that wasted taxpayer money.
- After spending four months in CECOT, the individuals were returned to Venezuela in July following months of legal disputes and a federal judge’s halt on removals under the Alien Enemies Act.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Louisiana Illuminator
US paid El Salvador $4.76 million to detain up to 300 migrants in mega-prison
Minister of Justice and Public Security Héctor Villatoro, right, accompanies Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, center, during a tour of the Terrorist Confinement Center on March 26, 2025 in Tecoluca, El Salvador. (Photo by Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images)WASHINGTON — The Trump administration paid El Salvador $4.76 million to detain up to 300 immigrant men for up to a year at a notorious mega-prison and barred the funds from …
US Offered El Salvador $4.7M to Take Venezuelans In
The White House offered El Salvador $4.7 million earlier this year to detain deported Venezuelan migrants, but stipulated that the funds could not be used in ways that conflicted with President Donald Trump's policies on immigration, diversity, or abortion.
Trump Administration Signed $4.8 million CECOT Deal With El Salvador After Judge Halted Deportations
The Trump administration struck a $4.8 million deal with El Salvador to imprison 238 migrants just days after D.C.’s chief federal judge had barred it from expediting their deportations in March — and just as the government mulled how to invoke a “state secrets privilege” to keep details out of the public’s view.The four-page “grant agreement” was revealed as part of an ongoing lawsuit in which human rights groups are trying to block the State D…
US-El Salvador Prison Agreement Included Anti-DEI, Asylum Terms
The Trump administration offered $4.7 million to El Salvador to imprison deported Venezuelan migrants earlier this year, but restricted the money from being used in ways that conflict with President Donald Trump’s policies on immigration, diversity and abortion, according to a newly disclosed copy of the March agreement.
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