"In the days before the Trump administration deported hundreds of Venezuelan immigrants to a notorious prison in El Salvador, the president of that country demanded something for himself: the return of nine MS-13 gang leaders in U.S. custody. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a March 13 phone call with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, promised the request would be fulfilled, according to officials familiar with the conversation."
"But there was one obstacle: Some of the MS-13 members Bukele wanted were informants under the protection of the U.S. government, Rubio told him. To deport them to El Salvador, Attorney General Pam Bondi would need to terminate the Justice Department's arrangements with those men, Rubio said. He assured Bukele that Bondi would complete that process and Washington would hand over the MS-13 leaders."
"For the Salvadoran president, a return of the informants was viewed as critical to preserving his tough-on-crime reputation. It was also a key step in hindering an ongoing U.S. investigation into his government's relationship with MS-13, a gang famous for displays of excessive violence in the United States and elsewhere."
In the days before mass deportations to El Salvador, President Nayib Bukele demanded the return of nine MS-13 leaders held in U.S. custody. Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured Bukele in a March 13 call that the request would be fulfilled, while noting that some requested MS-13 members were U.S.-protected informants. Rubio said Attorney General Pam Bondi would need to terminate Justice Department protections to allow deportation. Returning the informants would give Bukele possession of individuals who might expose alleged government dealings with MS-13 and could impede a U.S. investigation into those ties.
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