San Salvador, El Salvador (AP) – The American State Secretary Marco Rubio said on Monday that the President of El Salvador offered to accept deportees from the US of a nationality, including violent American criminals who are now locked up in the United States.
President Nayib Bukele “has agreed to the most unprecedented, extraordinary, extraordinary migration agreement around the world,” said Rubio during a signing ceremony for a non -related civilian nuclear agreement with the foreign minister of El Salvador.
“He has also offered to do the same for dangerous criminals who are currently in custody and serve their punishment in the United States, although they are American citizens or legal inhabitants,” said Rubio. He had just met Bukele for a few hours in his country house in the lake outside San Salvador.
After Rubio had spoken, an American officer said that the Trump government had no current plans to try to deport American citizens, but said that Bukele’s offer was considerable. The US government cannot deport the American citizens and such a relocation would be tackled with considerable legal challenges.
Rubio Visited El Salvador to press a friendly government to do more to meet the Trump administration requirements for a great performance against immigration amidst Unrest in Washington About the status of the most important foreign development agency of the government.
He arrived in San Salvador shortly after looking at a deportation flight funded by the US with 43 migrants who leave Panama for Colombia. That came a day after Rubio had given a warning to Panama that unless the government immediately moved to reduce or eliminate the presence of China in the Panama Canal, the US would act for that.
However, migration was the most important problem of the day, as it will be for the next stops on Rubios Five-countries Central American tour by Costa Rica, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic after Panama and El Salvador.
President Donald Trump’s government prioritizing people to make the trip to the United States and has collaborated with regional countries to stimulate enforcement of immigration across their borders and to accept deportees from the United States.
The agreement that Rubio described for El Salvador to accept foreign nationals arrested in the United States for violating American immigration laws is known as a “safe third country” agreement. That would mean that the US could expand non-Salvadorese migrants to El Salvador.
Officials have suggested that this could be an option for Venezuelan gang members who have been convicted of crimes in the United States as Venezuela refuses to accept them, but Rubio said that Bukele’s offer was for prisoners for a nationality.
Rubio said Bukele then went on and said that his country was willing to accept American citizens or legal inhabitants and prisoners who were convicted of and were trapped for violent crimes.
Human rights activists have warned that El Salvador lacks a consistent policy for the treatment of asylum seekers and refugees and that such an agreement may not be limited to violent criminals.
Manuel Flores, the secretary -general of the left -wing opposition party Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front, criticized the “Safe Third Country” plan and said it would indicate that the region is the “backyard of Washington to dump the waste”.
The deportation flight that Rubio saw that he was being loaded in Panama City, wore migrants held by the Panamanian authorities after illegal crossing of the Darien Gap from Colombia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that such deportations send a message of deterrence. The US has given Panama financial aid to the melody of nearly $ 2.7 million in flights and tickets, because an agreement was signed to finance them.
Rubio was on the asphalt before the departure of the flight, who brought 32 men and 11 women back to Colombia. It is unusual for a State Secretary to see such a law enforcement operation personally, especially for cameras.
“Massamigration is one of the great tragedies in modern times,” said Rubio, and then spoke in a nearby building. “It influences countries around the world. We acknowledge that many of the people looking for massive migration are often victims and are the victim along the way, and it is not good for nobody. “
Monday’s deportation flight came when Trump threatened the campaign against countries that will not accept flights from their nationals from the United States, and he briefly broke Colombia with punishments last week initially refuse to accept two flights. Panama has been more cooperative and has been able to land back and migrants have sent flights from third countries before they reach the United States.
“This is an effective way to stop the flow of illegal migration, of mass migration, which destructively and destabilizes,” said Rubio. “And it would have been impossible to do without the strong partnership that we have here with our friends and allies in Panama. And we’re going to keep doing it. “
His journey comes in the midst of a sweeping freeze in American foreign help And stop-work orders who have concluded programs funded by the US that are aimed at illegal migration and crime in Central American countries. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Sunday that Rubio had approved exemptions for certain critical programs in countries he visits, but details were not immediately available.
While Rubio was out of the country, his employees of the US Agency for International Development were instructed on Monday to stay out of the office’s headquarters of the office after billionaire Elon Musk had announced that Trump had agreed to close the desk with him.
Thousands of USAID employees had already been fired and programs were closed. Rubio told reporters in San Salvador that he was now the acting manager of USAID, but had delegated that authority, so he would not carry out his daily activities.
The change means that USAID is no longer an independent government agency as it was for decades – although the new status is likely to be challenged for the court – and will be hit by departmental officials from the Ministry of Department.
In his comments, Rubio emphasized that some and perhaps many USAID programs would continue in the new configuration, but that the switch was necessary because the agency had become irresponsible for the executive and the congress.
During his weekend discussion with Panama’s president in the Panama Canal, Rubio said he was hopeful that the Panamanians would consider him and Trump’s warnings on China. Panamanians have recovered Trump’s insistence on the control of the channel built by America, that the US turned around in 1999, although they were agreed to withdraw from a Chinese infrastructure and development initiative.
“I understand that it is a delicate issue in Panama,” Rubio told reporters in San Salvador. “We don’t want to have a hostile and negative relationship with Panama,” he said. “I don’t believe we do that. And we had a candid and respectful conversation, and I hope that the fruit will deliver and will result in the coming days. ‘
But back in Washington, Trump was less diplomatic and said: “China is involved in the Panama Canal. They won’t be long and it should be. “
“We want it back, or we get something very strong, or we’re going to take it back,” Trump said reporters in the White House. “And China will be treated.”
As he has in the past, Trump once again criticized the Carter administration because he had signed a treaty from the 70s to give control of the channel to Panama and said it was a pact that Panama has since ‘completely violated’ .
“They have agreed with certain things, but I am not happy with it,” said Trump.
Zamorano reported from Panama City.
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