El Salvador Takes in 238 Deported 'Tren de Aragua Members', Says U.S. Will Pay 'Very Low Fee'

An officer in riot gear stands on patrol inside a cell at CECOT in San Vicente, El Salvador, Latin America's largest prison as part of President Nayib Bukele's plan to fight gangs. Since then, human rights advocates have raised concern about the treatment of suspects incarcerated as gang members without sufficient proof. (Credit: Alex Peña/Getty Images)

El Salvador officially took in 238 alleged members of Venezuela's Tren de Aragua gang this week, fulfilling part of a controversial deal between President Nayib Bukele and the Trump administration. Under the agreement, El Salvador will house around 300 deported gang members in its Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) for at least a year—all for $6 million, a price that Bukele described as "very low" for the U.S., but a "high one" for his own country.

The transfer, confirmed by Bukele in a social media post, is one of the first instances of El Salvador accepting deported "criminal" migrants from the U.S. Along with the alleged Tren de Aragua members, the U.S. also deported 23 alleged MS-13 gang members, including two high-ranking leaders wanted in El Salvador.