Fresh controversy surrounds the Trump administration after unsealed court documents revealed efforts to dismiss charges against Vladimir Antonio Arevalo-Chavez, a key MS-13 leader, to deport him to El Salvador. Critics and legal scholars say this is a ploy to prevent Arevalo-Chavez from exposing a secret 2019 deal between President Nayib Bukele and MS-13, which allegedly exchanged government resources for reduced violence and political support.
The situation is further complicated by reports that the deportation is part of a wider agreement allowing the US to transfer immigrants to El Salvador’s Cecot prison. Michael Ahn Paarlberg, a political science professor, described the move as “collusion between two governments to cover up a gang pact.”
Arevalo-Chavez, who faces charges of racketeering and terrorism, is considered a crucial witness to Bukele’s dealings with MS-13. The Justice Department cited “sensitive foreign policy” in its decision to drop the case, fueling suspicions of a cover-up.
This follows a similar incident in March involving another MS-13 leader, raising concerns about a systematic effort to silence those with knowledge of the gang’s ties to Bukele’s administration.