The Trump administration is planning to increase deportations of immigrants with criminal records to El Salvador’s infamous mega prison, following a Supreme Court order that allows the temporary use of a broad wartime deportation power, according to two U.S. officials.
El Salvador has become a crucial partner in Trump’s immigration crackdown. President Nayib Bukele is scheduled to visit the White House on Monday to discuss the country’s Cecot prison—Latin America’s largest facility. Sources say the administration also received a proposal from Erik Prince, the controversial private security contractor, to build a U.S.-run migrant detention center in El Salvador.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed the administration’s stance during a Wednesday interview.
“One of the reasons I went to El Salvador last week was to meet with the President and ask him to continue accepting terrorists who no longer belong in the U.S.,” Noem said.
The administration’s deepening reliance on El Salvador has sparked legal challenges and public outrage. While the Supreme Court upheld the use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to accelerate deportations, it also emphasized that migrants must receive enough notice to file habeas corpus complaints.
Such legal challenges are already underway. On Wednesday, federal judges in New York and Texas temporarily blocked the deportation of several Venezuelan plaintiffs involved in a lawsuit against the administration’s use of the act.
Meanwhile, the White House reviewed Prince’s unprecedented proposal to detain migrants with criminal records in a U.S.-operated facility within El Salvador. The idea found support among some officials who saw it as a way to cut costs and relieve an overburdened detention system. Others dismissed it as legally shaky and unrealistic.
Prince’s pitch reflects his growing sway in Trump’s second term and highlights the administration’s increasing collaboration with Bukele. However, the recent Supreme Court decision may sideline the proposal for now, with deportations to the Cecot prison still under consideration.
CNN reached out to both the White House and Prince for comment.
According to one source, the proposal was partly driven by difficulties using the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as a detention site.
“Guantanamo became a PR nightmare. Logistically, it was a mess,” the source explained.
In February, the administration stopped plans to house migrants in tents at Guantanamo after concerns surfaced over poor conditions, including lack of electricity and air conditioning.
Trump has also shown interest in sending U.S. nationals with criminal records to El Salvador, an idea likely to provoke intense legal battles.
“If they can house these horrible criminals for less than we can, I’m for it—legally, of course,” Trump said Sunday aboard Air Force One. “Why stop with just border crossers?”
Last month, the U.S. deported 238 suspected members of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang and 22 alleged MS-13 members to the El Salvador prison.
However, the administration faced backlash after mistakenly deporting a Salvadoran man despite a court order protecting him due to fears of persecution. The case raised questions about the claim that all deportees were dangerous criminals.
The administration’s recent request for immigration detention proposals totals up to $45 billion over the next two years, signaling plans to expand detention operations dramatically.
Bukele plays a central role in this initiative. As CNN has previously reported, Prince’s close relationship with the Salvadoran president has helped restore his access to the Trump administration.
Prince, who founded Blackwater and is the brother of former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, has a controversial history. Blackwater’s reputation took a hit after its contractors killed 17 civilians in Iraq in 2007. Although four were convicted, Trump later pardoned them. Prince sold the company in 2010 and now describes himself as an investor and defense reform advocate.
Interviews with over a dozen current and former administration officials and those close to Prince reveal his growing influence in Trump’s inner circle. He’s aggressively pushing for long-held policy ideas—some of which could become lucrative ventures.
One such idea involved hiring private contractors, including retired ICE, CBP officers, and trained veterans, to deport undocumented immigrants swiftly.
When asked about that plan, Trump replied he hadn’t seen it but added, “I wouldn’t be opposed.”
