The Trump administration is under intense scrutiny following revelations that it is seeking to dismiss charges against Vladimir Antonio Arevalo-Chavez, a high-ranking MS-13 member, in order to deport him to El Salvador. Critics claim this is a deliberate effort to prevent Arevalo-Chavez from testifying about a secret 2019 deal between President Nayib Bukele and MS-13, which allegedly involved government payments and gang support for Bukele’s administration.
The controversy deepens with the disclosure that this deportation is part of a larger arrangement enabling the US to send immigrants to El Salvador’s notorious Cecot prison. According to political scientist Michael Ahn Paarlberg, “This is collusion between two governments to cover up a gang pact by dropping charges on known gangsters.”
Arevalo-Chavez, a member of MS-13’s leadership council, faces charges of racketeering, terrorism, and narco-terrorism conspiracy. The Justice Department’s explanation—citing “sensitive foreign policy considerations”—has only fueled suspicions of a cover-up.
This follows a similar incident in March, when another MS-13 leader was quietly deported after charges were dropped, raising further questions about the US’s motives.