WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly agreed to abandon confidential informants who were under the protection of the Department of Justice to secure a high-stakes deal with El Salvador’s president, according to a bombshell report from The Washington Post.
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| Marco Rubio betrayed drug gang informants to seal El Salvador prison deal, report says |
The alleged arrangement, finalized in March, allowed the Trump administration to summarily deport dozens of Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador, where they were indefinitely detained in a brutal, notorious prison. In exchange, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele demanded the U.S. hand over specific MS-13 gang members individuals who were, in reality, protected DOJ informants.
This complex deal was a cornerstone of President Donald Trump’s first wave of mass deportations under the controversial invocation of the Alien Enemies Act, aimed at alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
The "Quid Pro Quo": Informants for Prison Space
According to The Post's investigation, the deal was struck during a March 13 phone call. President Bukele agreed to house the Venezuelan deportees in the infamous Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT)—a facility decried by human rights groups as a "tropical gulag" and a "concentration camp."
However, Bukele had one non-negotiable condition: that the U.S. extradite several MS-13 gang members he wanted imprisoned. The problem, as The Post revealed, was that these individuals were "informants" actively cooperating with the Department of Justice on sensitive cases.
Rather than dismissing the idea, Secretary Rubio reportedly agreed to speak with Attorney General Pam Bondi to abandon those informant protections, effectively trading them for prison space. The report noted that while Trump sought a foreign country to facilitate his deportation scheme, Bukele desperately needed U.S. Justice Department support to legitimize his hardline leadership amid global criticism of his threats to civil liberties.
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| Trump was reportedly eager to ink a deal with Salvadoran president Nayib Bukele to quickly deported Venezuelans to his CECOT prison before a judge could intervene (AFP via Getty Images) |
President Trump was reportedly so invested in the deal that he "repeatedly called Rubio" while the secretary was on a multiday trip to Saudi Arabia and Canada to ensure it was finalized.
The Victims: Deportees in a "Tropical Gulag"
While the alleged deal was being struck, the Trump administration activated the Alien Enemies Act, targeting "all Venezuelan citizens 14 years of age or older who are members of [Tren de Aragua]."
In reality, officials later admitted that "many" of those targeted did not have criminal records. Some were in the U.S. with legal permission and had court dates scheduled for their asylum claims.
After being flown from U.S. detention centers in the middle of the night, roughly 250 Venezuelan men were shackled, had their heads shaved, and were "gang-walked" into the maximum-security CECOT prison.
In lawsuits and interviews following their release, the men detailed the "physical, verbal and psychological abuse" they endured for over five months. They were not allowed to speak with families or lawyers and never stepped foot outside. Guards allegedly subjected them to "routine beatings... using their fists and batons."
The Betrayal: "It Would Gut Me as a Case Agent"
The reported deal to sacrifice informants has sent shockwaves through the law enforcement community. Former Justice Department officials expressed frustration that the administration would "blow up" complex cases that agents had spent years building.
Daniel Brunner, a former FBI agent who worked on a joint task force investigating MS-13, described the devastating impact of such a betrayal.
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| More than 250 Venezuelans deported to CECOT in March were returned to their home country as part of a prison swap that saw Americans returned to the United States (Getty Images) |
“It would be very disheartening if I worked my butt off for a year to collect that evidence … to get him into custody, to bring him to justice, just for the Department of Justice or the State Department to turn around and say, ‘OK we’re going to drop all charges,’” Brunner told The Washington Post.
“It would gut me as a case agent,” he added.
Despite Bukele's demands, reports indicate that only one of the nine men he requested was ultimately sent to El Salvador. It remains unclear if the others can win their legal battles to prevent deportation.
Legal Chaos and an Eventual Exchange
The deportation scheme almost immediately sparked an extraordinary legal battle. A top judge in Washington, D.C., learned of the plan in an emergency lawsuit and ordered the Trump administration to turn the planes around. The administration resisted, provoking a constitutional clash in which President Trump himself publicly demanded the judge’s impeachment.
For months, administration officials and government attorneys claimed in court that the U.S. had no jurisdiction over the men locked in El Salvador. However, court filings revealed this to be a fabrication. Authorities in El Salvador had explicitly told the United Nations that the "legal responsibility for these people lie exclusively" with the U.S. government.
Despite claiming the men were no longer their responsibility, U.S. officials appeared to use them as bargaining chips. On July 18, following trilateral negotiations, the 250 Venezuelans jailed in CECOT were returned to their home country. Simultaneously, several Americans held in Venezuela’s custody were returned to the United States.
The Trump Administration defended the operation's outcome. "Americans elected President Trump because they were tired of politicians making excuses," State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement. "Hardened [Tren de Aragua] gang members are back in Venezuela. American hostages are home. MS-13 gang members are being prosecuted... And Americans are safer as a result of these incredible efforts.”
