Newly unsealed court records reveal that the Trump administration is attempting to dismiss charges against Vladimir Antonio Arevalo-Chavez, a senior MS-13 gang member, to deport him back to El Salvador. Critics argue this could be an effort to shield Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who allegedly made a deal with MS-13 in 2019, from damaging revelations.
Arevalo-Chavez is accused of racketeering, terrorism, and narco-terrorism in New York. The justice department claims that foreign policy and national security concerns justify the dismissal, and that El Salvador should handle the prosecution. However, Arevalo-Chavez’s legal team and observers say this move is designed to prevent him from testifying in the US, which could expose details about Bukele’s prior negotiations with the gang.
A federal judge has blocked his immediate transfer to ICE custody, stalling deportation. This case follows the earlier expulsion of another MS-13 leader under similar circumstances, fueling accusations of a coordinated effort to hide Bukele’s connections to MS-13.