US President Donald Trump will host El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele at the White House on April 14, with talks expected to centre on cooperation around border security, criminal deportation, and a possible on Bitcoin.
The invitation follows Trump’s public praise of Bukele’s ongoing efforts to clamp down on organised crime and his administration’s willingness to house criminals deported from the US in El Salvador’s new mega-prison.
US deportations and gangs
Bukele has garnered international attention for jailing nearly 2% of El Salvador’s population in a sweeping crackdown on criminal gangs, particularly MS-13 and Tren de Aragua.
His controversial tactics, including transporting prisoners in chains to a high-security facility, have sparked global debate.
However, they have earned him support from Trump, who has linked El Salvador’s security model to broader US interests in regional stability and deportation policy.
In a formal letter dated April 1 and shared by Bukele on X, Trump commended his Salvadoran counterpart for helping facilitate the repatriation of US-deported criminals.
