The White House is set to welcome El Salvador’s president as Washington faces backlash over immigrant removals.
US President Donald Trump will host El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele at the White House on Monday, as he seeks to deport more immigrants to a notorious maximum-security prison in the Central American country.
The contentious deportation programme, which has faced several legal challenges, involves the US transferring alleged gang members to El Salvador, including Venezuelans accused of belonging to the Tren de Aragua group.
Trump has praised Bukele’s government for accepting individuals the US labels as threats. “President Bukele has graciously accepted into his Nation’s custody some of the most violent alien enemies of the World… They will never threaten or menace our Citizens again!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
On Sunday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said 10 more alleged members of MS-13 and Tren de Aragua had been flown to El Salvador.
“Last night, another 10 criminals from the MS-13 and Tren de Aragua Foreign Terrorist Organizations arrived in El Salvador,” Rubio said on X.
He praised the Trump-Bukele alliance as an example of effective hemispheric cooperation.
The Trump administration has relied on the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to justify these deportations. Hundreds have been transferred under this rarely used legislation, which allows the removal of nationals from countries deemed hostile during times of conflict.
The administration claims all those deported were vetted and linked to gangs that the US considers “terrorist” organisations.
But lawyers and family members of the detainees dispute these claims, saying many had no opportunity to challenge the accusations in court. Civil rights advocates argue that branding immigrants as gang members without judicial oversight violates due process.
The case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia
The US Supreme Court has ruled that detainees must receive proper notice to contest deportation orders. However, the decision left open the question of what legal recourse remains for those already sent to El Salvador.
In one high-profile case, the Trump administration confirmed to a federal judge on Saturday that a Maryland man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported last month, remains confined in an El Salvador prison.
But the government’s filing did not address the judge’s demands that the administration detail what steps it was taking to return Abrego Garcia to the US, only that he is under the authority of the El Salvador government.
The US Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the Trump administration must bring him back.
Abrego Garcia’s case is likely to be on the agenda at the White House meeting.