Trump administration officials reportedly are working with El Salvador representatives on an asylum agreement that would allow the U.S. to deport migrants of various nations to the Central American country.
Being called a "Safe Third Country" agreement, the deal would permit U.S. immigration officials to deport non-Salvadoran migrants to El Salvador, CBS News reported Sunday.
Two sources told the outlet that migrants deported to El Salvador would be instructed to seek asylum in what would be designated a "safe third country."
Administration officials began sending deportees on U.S. military planes back to Guatemala and El Salvador, Bloomberg reported Friday.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the start of military flights in a post on X that included a picture of shackled men boarding a cargo plane, without saying their destination.
The asylum plan being discussed with El Salvador would revive an agreement the first Trump administration brokered but was never implemented. It eventually was terminated under then-President Joe Biden.
El Salvador is one of the stops for Secretary of State Marco Rubio on his trip to Latin America set to start later this week, ABC News reported.
One item being discussed is sending deportation flights to El Salvador that include suspected members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, CBS News reported.
Under President Nayib Bukele, the Salvadoran government has used mass incarceration to subdue notorious gangs such as MS-13.
Trump and Bukele spoke over the phone Thursday and discussed "working together to stop illegal immigration and crack down on transnational gangs like Tren de Aragua," the White House said.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Sunday said that his government wouldn't accept flights carrying migrants deported from the United States until the Trump administration creates a protocol that treats them with “dignity.”
Petro made the announcement in two X posts, one of which included a news video of migrants reportedly deported to Brazil walking on a tarmac with their hands and feet restrained.
Mexico denied the U.S. access to land a military plane transporting illegal immigrants in its country on Thursday, NBC News reported Friday. The outlet added the military transport never took off for Mexico from the U.S., but two Air Force C-17s carrying 80 illegals apiece flew for Guatemala on Thursday night.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this story.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.