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El Salvador

The latest news, analysis and opinion on El Salvador. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

San Salvador

Head of State

President Nayib Bukele

Head of Government

President Nayib Bukele

Kilmar Abrego Garcia attends a rally in his honour at the ICE field office in Baltimore in August 2025. Photo: AP

United States

US judge tosses case against wrongly deported Salvadorean man Abrego Garcia

The indictment was ‘an abuse of prosecuting power’ against a man at the centre of a row over Trump’s migrant crackdown, the judge ruled.

23 May 2026 - 7:19AM

United States

FBI Director Kash Patel denies drinking allegations in testy Senate hearing

13 May 2026 - 2:57PM

Americas and the Caribbean

Shackled and shaved: El Salvador holds mass trial for hundreds of gang members

24 Apr 2026 - 3:10PM

Americas and the Caribbean

Trump offers Latin American leaders US missile strikes to hit drug cartels

The US president launched a 17-nation ‘counter cartel’ coalition at his ‘Shield of the Americas’ summit.

8 Mar 2026 - 1:46AM

US President Donald Trump attends the “Shield of the Americas” summit in Miami, Florida, on Saturday. Photo: Reuters

United States

US$35 million for 300: US deports migrants to remote islands, African nations

The bulk of the money – US$32 million – went to Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, El Salvador, Palau and eSwatini.

14 Feb 2026 - 9:24AM

Americas and the Caribbean

Costa Rica elects tough-talking right-winger for president

Laura Fernandez, a protege and former chief of staff of the outgoing president, has pledged to continue his tough security policies.

2 Feb 2026 - 3:06PM

United States

Explainer | US interventions in Latin America: a history of coups and conflicts

From the Bay of Pigs to Operation Condor to Venezuela in 2026: A look at the legacy of CIA-backed coups and US military action in Latin America.

3 Jan 2026 - 11:16PM

Members of Cuban Assault Brigade 2506 after their capture at the Bay of Pigs, Cuba, April 1961. Photo: AFP

Donald Trump

Pulled story on Trump immigration crackdown accidentally airs on Canadian app

The ‘60 Minutes’ segment on migrants sent to a notorious El Salvador mega-prison was quickly removed, but copies have spread online.

24 Dec 2025 - 8:04AM

United States

Trump administration triples ‘self-deport’ stipend to US$3,000

The limited-time offer includes a free flight and requires use of the CBP Home app before the end of the year.

22 Dec 2025 - 10:14PM

United States

Did ‘political’ reasons postpone ‘60 Minutes’ report on El Salvador prison?

CBS delayed its CECOT prison report, where the US has sent hundreds of migrants, citing more reporting and sparking outcry over censorship.

22 Dec 2025 - 9:38PM

Inmates are seen in their cell at the Centre for Terrorism Confinement in El Salvador in April. Photo: AFP

China-Latin America relations

China seeks greater influence in US backyard

The US is trying to shut China out of Latin America, even as the Asian nation outlines plans to further grow trade and investment in the resource-rich region.

17 Dec 2025 - 5:00PM

Chile’s President-elect Jose Antonio Kast. (Photo: Xinhua)

United States

US judge blocks ICE from re-detaining Abrego Garcia

The order comes less than a day after Kilmar Abrego Garcia, previously wrongfully deported to El Salvador, was released from immigration detention.

12 Dec 2025 - 10:29PM

United States

Judge orders release of Salvadorean who was wrongfully deported by Trump admin

The case has highlighted the president’s hardline immigration stance, with officials saying Abrego Garcia will never again be free in the US.

12 Dec 2025 - 7:15AMvideocam

Donald Trump

This Thanksgiving, Trump pardons turkeys and roasts foes

The US president took aim at senior Democrats Schumer and Pelosi, predecessor Joe Biden and son Hunter, and Chicago’s J.B. Pritzker.

26 Nov 2025 - 11:01AM

US first lady Melania Trump looks on as US President Donald Trump pardons Gobble the turkey at the White House on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Americas and the Caribbean

Ecuador voters reject return of US bases, in blow to Trump ally Noboa

Vote effectively blocks the US from returning to an airbase that was once a hub for its anti-drug operations.

17 Nov 2025 - 4:28PM

Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa and US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visiting an airbase in Manta, Ecuador this month. Photo: Reuters

Donald Trump

Trump cuts tariffs on beef, coffee and other foods, in inflation U-turn

The move marks a sharp reversal from the US president, who has insisted that his import duties are not fuelling higher grocery prices.

15 Nov 2025 - 1:21PM

United States

Bananas and beef: White House unveils Latin America trade deals

Argentina, Guatemala, Ecuador and El Salvador have agreed to open their markets to US products in exchange for tariff relief on some items.

14 Nov 2025 - 7:38AM

United States

Trump’s deportation of Abrego Garcia likely vindictive: judge

The judge cited ‘remarkable statements’ from a Deputy Attorney General as evidence the indictment was retaliatory for the deportee’s challenge.

4 Oct 2025 - 8:30AM

Kilmar Abrego Garcia appears for a check-in at an ICE field office in Baltimore. Photo: Reuters

United States

Abrego Garcia denied asylum in US immigration case, appeal pending

The ruling follows the Salvadorean’s mistaken deportation in March, which has been a focal point in the debate over Trump’s immigration policy.

3 Oct 2025 - 12:02AM

Stablecoins

Stablecoin giant Tether seeks funding at US$500 billion valuation

Tether is in talks with investors to raise as much as US$20 billion through a private placement.

24 Sep 2025 - 4:52PMvideocam

US immigration

US federal judge blocks Trump effort to expand speedy deportations

The order is a setback for the Trump administration’s goal of deporting 1 million migrants a year.

1 Sep 2025 - 12:23PM

US federal agents working for ICE detain immigrants and asylum seekers reporting for immigration court proceedings in New York City. File photo: AFP

United States

Why are so many nations accepting deportees from Trump’s America?

Aid, political support, and trade deals might be motivating these controversial agreements.

28 Aug 2025 - 5:27PM

Guatemalan migrants descend from a US military plane after being deported from the US at the Guatemalan Air Force Base in January.
Photo: Guatemalan Migration Institute/AFP

United States

Kilmar Abrego Garcia seeks asylum in US to prevent deportation to Uganda

By seeking asylum in the US, the wrongfully deported Salvadorean national reignites legal battles and highlights policy contradictions.

28 Aug 2025 - 12:35AM

United States

US federal judge dismisses Trump lawsuit in Maryland deportation case

A Trump-appointed judge questioned the Trump administration’s lawsuit against all 15 Maryland judges challenging a deportation pause order.

26 Aug 2025 - 11:18PM

Donald Trump

Trump suggests Americans ‘like a dictator’ as he clamps down on Washington

Trump complained that he was not getting credit for his National Guard-backed crackdown on crime and immigration in the US capital.

26 Aug 2025 - 9:22AM

Soldier patrol outside the National Guard’s headquarters at the DC Armoury near the Washington Monument on Monday. Photo: Getty Images/AFP

United States

Abrego Garcia faces deportation again as he surrenders to ICE

The Trump administration is pushing for his removal from the US amid contested gang allegations and smuggling charges.

25 Aug 2025 - 9:27PM

Kilmar Abrego Garcia (centre), with his wife Jennifer Vasquez Sura (right), walks to the ICE Baltimore Field Office in Baltimore on Monday. Photo: EPA

United States

Wrongly deported Abrego Garcia could be sent to Uganda after rejecting plea deal

Abrego Garcia’s case became a flashpoint in Trump’s immigration agenda after he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March.

24 Aug 2025 - 5:03AM

Venezuela

US doubles reward for arrest of Venezuela’s Maduro to US$50 million

The Trump administration has accused Venezuela’s president of being one of the world’s largest narco-traffickers.

8 Aug 2025 - 2:27PM

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El Salvador

US judge tosses case against wrongly deported Salvadorean man Abrego Garcia

The indictment was ‘an abuse of prosecuting power’ against a man at the centre of a row over Trump’s migrant crackdown, the judge ruled.

FBI Director Kash Patel denies drinking allegations in testy Senate hearing

Shackled and shaved: El Salvador holds mass trial for hundreds of gang members

Trump offers Latin American leaders US missile strikes to hit drug cartels

The US president launched a 17-nation ‘counter cartel’ coalition at his ‘Shield of the Americas’ summit.

US$35 million for 300: US deports migrants to remote islands, African nations

The bulk of the money – US$32 million – went to Equatorial Guinea, Rwanda, El Salvador, Palau and eSwatini.

Costa Rica elects tough-talking right-winger for president

Laura Fernandez, a protege and former chief of staff of the outgoing president, has pledged to continue his tough security policies.

.css-19im5qg{color:#c79a00;}Explainer | US interventions in Latin America: a history of coups and conflicts

From the Bay of Pigs to Operation Condor to Venezuela in 2026: A look at the legacy of CIA-backed coups and US military action in Latin America.

Pulled story on Trump immigration crackdown accidentally airs on Canadian app

The ‘60 Minutes’ segment on migrants sent to a notorious El Salvador mega-prison was quickly removed, but copies have spread online.

Trump administration triples ‘self-deport’ stipend to US$3,000

The limited-time offer includes a free flight and requires use of the CBP Home app before the end of the year.

Did ‘political’ reasons postpone ‘60 Minutes’ report on El Salvador prison?

CBS delayed its CECOT prison report, where the US has sent hundreds of migrants, citing more reporting and sparking outcry over censorship.

China seeks greater influence in US backyard

The US is trying to shut China out of Latin America, even as the Asian nation outlines plans to further grow trade and investment in the resource-rich region.

US judge blocks ICE from re-detaining Abrego Garcia

The order comes less than a day after Kilmar Abrego Garcia, previously wrongfully deported to El Salvador, was released from immigration detention.

Judge orders release of Salvadorean who was wrongfully deported by Trump admin

The case has highlighted the president’s hardline immigration stance, with officials saying Abrego Garcia will never again be free in the US.

This Thanksgiving, Trump pardons turkeys and roasts foes

The US president took aim at senior Democrats Schumer and Pelosi, predecessor Joe Biden and son Hunter, and Chicago’s J.B. Pritzker.

Ecuador voters reject return of US bases, in blow to Trump ally Noboa

Vote effectively blocks the US from returning to an airbase that was once a hub for its anti-drug operations.

Trump cuts tariffs on beef, coffee and other foods, in inflation U-turn

The move marks a sharp reversal from the US president, who has insisted that his import duties are not fuelling higher grocery prices.

Bananas and beef: White House unveils Latin America trade deals

Argentina, Guatemala, Ecuador and El Salvador have agreed to open their markets to US products in exchange for tariff relief on some items.

Trump’s deportation of Abrego Garcia likely vindictive: judge

The judge cited ‘remarkable statements’ from a Deputy Attorney General as evidence the indictment was retaliatory for the deportee’s challenge.

Abrego Garcia denied asylum in US immigration case, appeal pending

The ruling follows the Salvadorean’s mistaken deportation in March, which has been a focal point in the debate over Trump’s immigration policy.

Stablecoin giant Tether seeks funding at US$500 billion valuation

Tether is in talks with investors to raise as much as US$20 billion through a private placement.

US federal judge blocks Trump effort to expand speedy deportations

The order is a setback for the Trump administration’s goal of deporting 1 million migrants a year.

Why are so many nations accepting deportees from Trump’s America?

Aid, political support, and trade deals might be motivating these controversial agreements.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia seeks asylum in US to prevent deportation to Uganda

By seeking asylum in the US, the wrongfully deported Salvadorean national reignites legal battles and highlights policy contradictions.

US federal judge dismisses Trump lawsuit in Maryland deportation case

A Trump-appointed judge questioned the Trump administration’s lawsuit against all 15 Maryland judges challenging a deportation pause order.

Trump suggests Americans ‘like a dictator’ as he clamps down on Washington

Trump complained that he was not getting credit for his National Guard-backed crackdown on crime and immigration in the US capital.

Abrego Garcia faces deportation again as he surrenders to ICE

The Trump administration is pushing for his removal from the US amid contested gang allegations and smuggling charges.

Wrongly deported Abrego Garcia could be sent to Uganda after rejecting plea deal

Abrego Garcia’s case became a flashpoint in Trump’s immigration agenda after he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March.

US doubles reward for arrest of Venezuela’s Maduro to US$50 million

The Trump administration has accused Venezuela’s president of being one of the world’s largest narco-traffickers.

Explainer | US interventions in Latin America: a history of coups and conflicts