Behind Trump’s Deal to Deport Venezuelans to El Salvador’s Most Feared Prison

As U.S. President Trump and Salvadoran leader Nayib Bukele addressed reporters inside the Oval Office in mid-April, their discussion highlighted a stark contrast: while Bukele had previously expressed concerns about receiving migrants mistakenly deported by the U.S., he later agreed to house only convicted criminals at El Salvador's maximum-security prison—a stance that directly opposed his earlier opposition to accepting individuals labeled as terrorists.