"I want to capture American citizens in El Salvador," says Donald Trump. What is his plan? Is it even legal? | Explain | Today news

US President Donald Trump on Monday confirmed his intention to send US citizens who commit violent crimes to prisons in El Salvador. During a conversation with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, Trump noted that Bukele may have to ‘build five more places’ to accommodate the influx, as reported by the Associated Press. The Trump administration has already deported immigrants to El Salvador’s notorious Cecot-Mega prison, known for its serious conditions. Trump also mentioned that his team is actively investigating ‘legitimate’ ways to send US citizens to the Central American facility. On Monday, Trump insisted that it be just “violent people”, indicating that they would be those who were already convicted of crimes in the United States, although he also attacked it as a punishment for those who attack Tesla dealers to attack his administration and his patron, billionaire Elon Musk. Here is a look at the idea of ​​sending US citizens in a foreign country to prison, why it is probably not legal and some possible legitimate loopholes. If it is legal to do to immigrants, why not citizens? Immigrants in the US can be deported under immigration legislation, but US citizens cannot; Laws of the deportation do not apply. One of the fundamental rights of citizenship is the protection against the fact that it is forcibly removed or sent to another country. In contrast, immigrants – both documented and undocumented – can be removed, which are currently happening in El Salvador. The country accepts deported individuals not only of its own population, but also from countries such as Venezuela and possibly others who refuse to take their citizens back. Noteworthy is that Venezuela’s was deported to El Salvador last month, was reportedly denied the right process – they did not get the chance to contest the evidence against them or appear before a judge. Why do the Trump administration want to send people to El Salvador? President Nayib Bukele, who famously refers to himself as “the world’s coolest dictator”, has attracted international attention for his heavy -handed approach to management. While his administration has been critical of interrupting human rights, he has also managed to turn El Salvador from one of the most violent countries in the world into a relatively safe one. That tough crime model earned praise from former President Donald Trump, who openly embraced Bukele’s example during their Oval Office meeting on Monday. The US policy of sending immigrants – including those from Venezuela – to El Salvador serves as a clear warning to potential migrants: reaching or staying in the United States can have serious consequences. It is a strategy that is apparently aimed at distracting, using El Salvador’s hard detention conditions to discourage unauthorized immigration. It is a possible legal member of the law that led to the Supreme Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor an ominous warning in her opinion in a 9-0 high court, and found that the administration could not fly to El Salvador the alleged Venezuelan gang members, even after Trump was an 18th century law. is to claim, AP reported. “The implication of the government’s position is that not only citizens, but also the citizens of the United States can be carried away from the streets, can be forced on aircraft and limited to foreign prisons without any opportunity to fix,” Sotomayor warned. She wrote that the majority of the majority of the federal judge who initially banned the administration from any deportations ordered and ordered aircraft on their way to El Salvador – an order that apparently ignored the administration. Wait, can they send citizens to El Salvador? The United States, however, maintain extradition treaties with many countries, through which it can hear US citizens abroad if they are formally accused of crimes committed in those countries. In terms of current legislation, it is the only legal mechanism by which an American citizen can be forcibly removed from the country. However, the idea of ​​sending US citizens to prisons such as El Salvador’s Cecot is raising serious legal and constitutional problems. The US Constitution prohibits ‘cruel and unusual punishment’, and Cecot – known for its extreme conditions – keeps some hardness far beyond those found in American prisons. In addition, individuals sent there would be out of the reach of US federal courts, possibly depriving them of constitutional guaranteed rights such as the proper process. Such actions would certainly face intense legal investigation and constitutional challenges. “It is illegal to exercise US citizens for a crime,” Lauren-Brooke wrote Eisen of the Brennan Center for Social Justice in New York. A last loophole? There is one possible loophole that the administration can use to send a small group of citizens to El Salvador. They can try to deprive the citizenship of people who have earned it after emigrating to the United States. The implication of the government’s position is that not only citizens, but also the citizens of the United States can be taken away from the streets, can be forced on aircraft and limited to foreign prisons without any opportunity to fix. People who were made after the birth of American citizens can lose that status for a handful of offenses, such as financeing terrorist organizations or lying on naturalization forms. They will then return to green card holders and may be eligible for deportation if convicted of others, serious crimes. (With inputs of AP) first published: 15 Apr 2025, 07:29 AM IST