Trump seeks to deport Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador, Bloomberg reports

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(Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump is looking to strike a deal with El Salvador to deport members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua to the Central American country, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the discussions.

Tren de Aragua has been blamed for a surge in crime in the Americas. In July last year, the U.S. Treasury Department designated the group as a transnational criminal organization for activities including human smuggling, gender-based violence, money laundering and drug trafficking.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio plans to visit Panama and four other countries in Central America in the coming days in his first overseas trip, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters last week.

Bloomberg reported on Thursday that the deportations would be a part of discussions between U.S. officials and El Salvador during Rubio’s trip. Any eventual deal would be announced by Trump, the report said.

The White House did not immediately respond to a Reuters’ request for comment.

Trump said earlier this month that his incoming administration would remove members of the gang from the United States.

The newly sworn-in President also wants to reintroduce “safe third country” type asylum agreements similar to those in place during his first term, Bloomberg reported, adding that these would also be a focus of Rubio’s meetings in El Salvador and in Guatemala.

Trump, a Republican, took office on Jan. 20 vowing to crack down on illegal immigration and humanitarian programs he says go beyond the intent of U.S. law. The Trump administration has subsequently stepped up deportations, sending migrants in military aircraft to various Latin American countries.

(Reporting by Gnaneshwar Rajan in Bengaluru; Editing by Daniel Wallis)