Shocking claims: U.S aid allegedly helped El Salvador's Bukele strike backdoor deals with MS-13 gang members

Time of India

7 hours ago

People have praised El Salvador's President Nayib
Bukele
for being tough on gang violence. But a new investigation points to a darker truth. Surprising claims suggest that Bukele's government is secretly negotiating with MS-13, potentially using funds from the US, all while presenting a public image of heroism and maintaining law and order.
El Salvador leader Nayib Bukele became a close ally of the U.S. president during the early months of the Trump administration, especially after the two struck an agreement to swiftly deport Venezuelan migrants suspected of being Tren de Aragua gang members and imprison them in CECOT, the nation's mega-prison, as per a report by the Latin Times.
Did Bukele really strike a deal with MS-13?
An investigation by ProPublica found that El Salvador's President Bukele made secret deals with MS-13 to get political support and cut down on murders by using US aid money for other things.
The investigation indicates that Bukele may have struck a deal with the MS-13 gang leaders in the early years of his presidency.
In an attempt to dismantle the gang's leadership, ProPublica compiled data from a lengthy U.S. investigation of MS-13. Later, the investigation was broadened to examine whether the Bukele government struck a covert agreement with the gang during the first few years of his presidency, as per a report by the Latin Times.
Live Events
ProPublica claims that Bukele's supporters persecuted Salvadoran law enforcement officials who assisted the task force and prevented the extradition of gang leaders who were suspected by U.S. agents of being witnesses to the negotiations.
The report says that extraditions were stopped and money may have been laundered, which hurt Bukele's tough-on-crime image and helped his support for Trump's immigration policies.
The new report is released at a time when El Salvador and the United States maintain a close relationship because of the Central American nation's readiness to assist with the anti-immigration rhetoric and policies of the Trump administration.
Was U.S. aid misused in the alleged pact?
Joint Task Force Vulcan, a multiagency law enforcement team established in 2019 at Trump's request, led the U.S. government's report, as per a report by the Latin Times.
As part of the purported agreement to give the gang money and power in return for votes and lower homicide rates, the Bukele government may have also transferred U.S. aid funds to the gang, according to the investigation.
Agents created a request in 2021 to examine U.S. bank accounts owned by political figures from El Salvador in order to find proof of money laundering connected to the alleged diversion of U.S. funds.
Bukele, along with other high-ranking officials and their family members, was implicated in that scheme, according to the list of names, as per a report by the Latin Times.
ALSO READ:
New VA policy sparks outrage as doctors may refuse treatment to Democrats and unmarried veterans alike
How deep is the U.S. connection?
The purported agreement between gang members and the Salvadoran government has a long-standing precedent.
In exchange for reducing crime, previous Salvadoran governments had agreed to shorten the sentences of convicted gang leaders and improve prison conditions.
But Bukele's government's real agreements with gang members went much further, as they were prepared to renegotiate electoral votes, USAID grants, and gang-inflicted violence.
El Salvador agreed to take Venezuelan migrants who are suspected of being gang members to their maximum security prison as part of an extraordinary agreement that President Trump and President Bukele recently celebrated, as per a report by the Latin Times.
FAQs
What is Bukele accused of doing with US aid?
He's accused of using it to facilitate backdoor deals with MS-13 for political gain.
How is the United States connected to this scandal?
Aid funds may have been directed to gangs, and Trump administration officials collaborated closely with Bukele on immigration and security plans.