The number of people deported from the United States to El Salvador nearly doubled in the first three months of 2026, according to official Salvadoran figures, as President Nayib Bukele aligned himself with President Donald Trump’s push to increase deportations.
Deportation flights from the U.S. worldwide rose about 61% between 2024 and 2025, according to data compiled by the Asociación Agenda Migrante El Salvador and other organizations.
The U.S. has stopped regularly releasing deportation data, so researchers have relied on figures from receiving countries, deportation flights, and other available information.
The increase came as Bukele strengthened ties with Trump and as the U.S. sought support from governments in Latin America on deportations. Mexico and other Central American countries have accepted deportees from third countries. Bukele has publicly backed Trump’s regional immigration efforts.
In March 2025, Bukele accepted 238 Venezuelan deportees accused of belonging to the Tren de Aragua gang and placed them in a prison used for accused gang members under his anti-gang campaign. The move prompted accusations of human rights abuses.
The action followed an agreement under which El Salvador would accept what the U.S. and Salvadoran governments described as the transfer and imprisonment of foreign criminals. Under the agreement, El Salvador was to receive $6 million from the U.S.
In 2023, El Salvador imposed a $1,130 fee on travelers from dozens of countries connecting through its main airport, amid pressure from the Biden administration to help reduce migration toward the U.S. southern border.