Bukele Aides Allegedly Blocked MS-13 Extraditions to Protect Gang Witnesses

ProPublica Investigation Findings

• 🔍 New reporting from ProPublica reveals that top aides to Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele allegedly blocked the extradition of MS-13 leaders to the U.S.
• 🤝 These alleged actions were reportedly taken because allies of Bukele believed the gang members could serve as witnesses in a U.S. investigation into Bukele himself.

Background of the Investigation

• 🚨 The investigation traces back to 2019 when the Trump administration declared war on MS-13, creating Joint Task Force Vulcan to dismantle the gang.
• 🎯 The strategy involved building cases against MS-13 leadership, primarily operating from El Salvadoran prisons, and extraditing them to the U.S. for trial.
• 💰 Evidence emerged of secret deals between senior Bukele government officials and the gang, involving reduced homicide rates and delivery of votes in exchange for political favors, financial benefits, and protection from extradition.

Expansion and Retaliation

• 📈 The investigation into MS-13 expanded to include corruption at the highest levels of the Bukele government, with potential diversion of U.S. aid money to the gang.
• ⚖️ In 2021, the Bukele government allegedly retaliated against Salvadoran officials assisting the corruption investigation by replacing the attorney general and Supreme Court justices.
• 🚫 The government systematically worked to block extraditions of key MS-13 leaders, fearing they would testify in U.S. courts about the deals with the government.

Shifting Priorities and Frustration

• 📉 The current Trump Justice Department's priorities have shifted, focusing on working with the Bukele government on deportations rather than pursuing the MS-13 corruption case.
• 😥 Sources quoted in the article express frustration that the case, which aimed to prosecute high-level officials colluding with the gang, has been weakened and set aside.
• ⚠️ While Bukele has significantly cracked down on MS-13, imprisoning many members and transforming El Salvador's safety, questions remain about what could have been learned if the corruption case had been pursued to its full extent.