El Salvador, the Central American country, has agreed to accept deportees of any nationality from the United States under a historic migration deal.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio opened up about the agreement, which calls for El Salvador to accept criminals who are serving jail sentences in the United States.
Giving more insight, Rubio said Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele “has agreed to the most unprecedented, extraordinary, extraordinary migratory agreement anywhere in the world.”
“He's also offered to do the same for dangerous criminals currently in custody and serving their sentence in the United States even though they're US citizens or legal residents.”
The historic agreement would signal a dramatic change in regional migration policy, letting the US to expel convicted felons and non-Salvadoran migrants to El Salvador.
The deal might offer a way to deport Venezuelan gang members, who have been found guilty of crimes in the US, if their country rejects them.
El Salvador President confirms deal as Rubio visits his nation
President Bukele confirmed the crucial deal with the US saying that “it does not have precedent in the history of the relationship, not just of the United States with El Salvador but rather I think in Latin America.”
{{/usCountry}}President Bukele confirmed the crucial deal with the US saying that “it does not have precedent in the history of the relationship, not just of the United States with El Salvador but rather I think in Latin America.”
{{/usCountry}}The announcement comes amidst Rubio's five-nation Central American trip, which includes visit to Panama, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic.
The Secretary of State landed in San Salvador after inspecting a US-sponsored deportation flight from Panama to Colombia. Rubio's diplomatic mission appears to be centered on illegal migration.
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In an uncommon instance of firsthand engagement, Rubio was present for a deportation mission in Panama City that resulted in the return of 43 migrants to Colombia.
There were 11 women and 32 men, who were arrested by Panamanian officials, on the flight.
The US has given Panama financial support worth £2.7 million for these deportation flights.
The operation took place amid increased tensions regarding deportation cooperation, with Trump lately placing temporary sanctions on Colombia for initially rejecting two aircraft.
As Trump administration's main priority is to prevent migrants from entering the country, officials have started collaborating with neighboring nations to improve border security.