Donald Trump says US plans to push deportations a 'step further' by sending 'homegrown criminals' to El Salvador prison
15 April 2025, 17:18 | Updated: 15 April 2025, 17:41
The US could deport 'homegrown criminals' to El Salvador jail, according to Donald Trump.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Since March, the Trump administration has sent 'hundreds' of alleged Venezuelan 'gang members' to CECOT - a maximum security jail in El Salvador - and has now expressed plans to send 'homegrown criminals' there.
Trump made the remarks at the White House, while speaking alongside El Salvador's president Nayib Bukele.
When questioned about the deportations, the US President said he'd like to go "a step further".
"We also have homegrown criminals that push people into subways, hit elderly ladies on the back of the head when they're not looking, that are absolute monsters.
"I'd like to include them in people to get out of the country".
After being questioned on the subject by a reporter, Trump said: "They're as bad as anybody that comes in. We have bad ones too. I'm all for it."
Trump says US Attorney General Pam Bodni is "studying the laws right now".
The US President said: "If we can do that, that's good", adding: "I'm talking about violent people, really bad people".
"We can do things with the president [of El Salvador] for less money and have great security. He does a great job with that. We have others we're negotiating with too."
Since mid-March, Trump's administration has reportedly been deporting alleged Venezuelan 'gang members' to the prison - when Trump signed the Alien Enemies Act.
The Act enables the president to detain and deport immigrants staying in the US legally if they come from countries deemed 'enemies' of the US government.
The Alien Enemies Act, which dates back to 1798, has only been invoked three times before.
On 17 March, a temporary block was issued on the departments by a judge.
However, the Supreme Court lifted this temporary block last week.
Immigrant rights groups and lawyers have reportedly been unable to reach the men transferred to CECOT jail - the biggest detention facility in Latin America.
CECOT has a 40,000-capacity.
Katie Porter, a former US representative, slammed Trump's comments on X: "As Trump ignores a 9-0 Supreme Court decision requiring due process for a legal resident, he told the President of El Salvador that “home-grown” opponents - ie US citizens - should be next.
"This is blatantly unconstitutional".
Yesterday, Donald Trump slammed Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the war in Ukraine, stating: "Millions are dead because of three people".
The remarks come after Russia tried to explain its deadly attack on the Ukrainian city of Sumy yesterday.
Trump called the strike a "mistake".
The attack saw two ballistic missiles strike Sumy as residents gathered on the morning of Palm Sunday.
Ukrainian emergency services said at least 34 people had been killed in the attack, including two children, while 117 had been injured.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on social media that “only filthy scum can act like this – taking the lives of ordinary people”.
The US president told reporters on Air Force One on Sunday April 13: “I think it was terrible. And I was told they made a mistake. But I think it’s a horrible thing. I think the whole war is a horrible thing.
"For that war to have started is an abuse of power. This country would never have allowed that war to have started if I were president.
"That war is a shame. Millions of people are dead that should be alive. Cities are being destroyed all over Ukraine, the whole culture is gone, well it's certainly very severely hurt.
"When pushed on what he meant by his comments, Mr Trump repeated "they made a mistake", adding: "You're gonna ask them".