Manuel Ureda
Appearances
Up First from NPR
China Tariffs, El Salvador President In DC, Meta Antitrust Trial
Well, in Latin America, the Trump administration has been looking for allies that will help it to deliver quickly in its priorities. And in this case, it's the effort to reduce immigration to the United States. In March, El Salvador took in more than 200 Venezuelan migrants who were accused of being gang members and were deported from the U.S. in an expedited and controversial fashion.
Up First from NPR
China Tariffs, El Salvador President In DC, Meta Antitrust Trial
Bukele put them in a notorious prison known as the Secot. There have been more deportation flights like that since then, the latest on Sunday. During this visit, both sides might talk about how to expand those kinds of partnerships, including the possibility of sending some U.S. prisoners to El Salvador to be incarcerated there.
Up First from NPR
China Tariffs, El Salvador President In DC, Meta Antitrust Trial
Well, in El Salvador, Bukele is a hugely popular president and many people don't mind his prison system. That's because El Salvador used to be one of the most violent countries in the world, with fighting between gangs controlling daily life in many communities.
Up First from NPR
China Tariffs, El Salvador President In DC, Meta Antitrust Trial
But in 2022, Bukele declared a state of emergency, which is still ongoing, that gave the police the power to arrest anyone they suspect of being a gang member and lock them up for months at a time without any kind of due process. Since those policies began, the number of homicides in El Salvador fell by 75%, and gangs lost their grips on many communities where they were taxing local businesses.
Up First from NPR
China Tariffs, El Salvador President In DC, Meta Antitrust Trial
Of course, human rights groups have been very critical of these tactics, and now their concern is that people who get sent from the US to El Salvador will basically be treated in the same way that local prisoners are treated and disappear into the system. Last month, a Maryland resident, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, was sent by mistake to El Salvador. The Trump administration admitted it was a mistake.
Up First from NPR
China Tariffs, El Salvador President In DC, Meta Antitrust Trial
His family hasn't been able to get in touch with him yet, despite the Supreme Court's insistence that he should be brought back. On Sunday, the Justice Department said the courts had, quote, no authority to force El Salvador to release Abrego Garcia. So the question now is if Trump will discuss with Bukele the return of this Maryland resident.
Up First from NPR
China Tariffs, El Salvador President In DC, Meta Antitrust Trial
Well, I think one big thing is that this gives them the validation of the United States, something that helps Bukele to dismiss the criticism she gets from human rights groups at home. By shoring up relations with the Trump administration, Bukele might also be trying to reduce tariffs on El Salvador's exports. El Salvador is the U.S. 's main trading partner.
Up First from NPR
China Tariffs, El Salvador President In DC, Meta Antitrust Trial
They send about 30 percent of their exports to the United States.