The Trump administration's efforts to deport migrants it says are gang members have hit several legal roadblocks in recent days. Federal judges and the Supreme Court have blocked the government from deporting more migrants under a seldom used, 18th-century wartime law.
El Salvador is now key to this deportation policy. Salvadoran president, Nayib Bukele, has accepted hundreds of people deported from the U.S., including people not from either country. It's holding most of those men at a massive prison meant for terrorists called "Cecot." Bukele was elected in 2019 on promises to reduce violent crime and the influence of gangs. He's described himself as a dictator in the past.
Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia was deported to CECOT. He's now being held at a lower-level prison, according to Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who met with him last Thursday. The Trump administration said in court that the deportation was a mistake. It's now engaged in a public relations campaign to brand Abrego Garcia a gang member and a terrorist but has presented no solid evidence backing up any of those assertions.
How does Bukele run his country and what does he gain from assisting Trump? What sorts of laws is the Trump administration using to justify its immigration enforcement strategies?
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