President Donald Trump has reportedly released a man described by the Department of Justice as a leader of the MS-13 criminal gang—who had been charged with crimes, including terrorism—as an apparent political favor to Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele. Bukele, an authoritarian leader, has been a key ally for Trump’s mass deportations in the U.S.
The New York Times reported on Monday that the Trump administration made a deal to have U.S. charges against Vladimir Arévalo Chávez, aka “Vampiro,” dropped, then arranged for his return to El Salvador. Reportedly, in exchange, Bukele would allow Trump to deport migrants—including Maryland father Kilmar Abrego Garcia—to El Salvador.
Sources who were part of the original prosecution of Chávez told the Times that the new deal has imperiled ongoing investigations of MS-13—even though Trump has repeatedly claimed that defeating the criminal gang is a top priority.
Allegedly, Chávez’s release is meant to aid Bukele’s domestic political operation. In its report, the Times said it “found that U.S. officials have had strong indications for years of the troubling relationship between the Bukele administration and MS-13 and its leaders—and had begun scrutinizing Mr. Bukele himself.”
A June report from ProPublica alleged that Bukele’s administration has worked to impede American investigations of MS-13, after it hinted at possible wrongdoing by Bukele and his inner circle.
The administration of former President Joe Biden was more focused on prosecuting Chávez and his cohorts than helping him out, as Trump has apparently done.
In 2023, under former Attorney General Merrick Garland, Chávez and two others were indicted on multiple charges. They were charged with crimes that included narco-terrorism, racketeering, and alien smuggling that resulted in death. The Department of Justice said the men had “engaged in a litany of violent terrorist activities aimed at influencing the government of El Salvador.”
The department also said the men “authorized and directed violence in the United States, Mexico, and elsewhere as part of a concerted effort to expand MS-13’s influence and territorial control.”
In April, Trump hosted Bukele at the White House, and both men claimed they could not arrange for the return of Abrego Garcia to the United States, even though he was wrongfully deported to El Salvador. The Trump administration claimed—without evidence—that Abrego Garcia was a danger and a member of MS-13, doing so apparently while also working with Bukele to secure Chávez’s release.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that his administration is tough on crime, particularly against gangs like MS-13 and Tren de Aragua, but the administration’s deportation efforts related to this have largely been performative and based on sketchy identifiers like tattoos.
Instead, his team has had a soft touch on criminal efforts.
Trump has reportedly moved to cut funding for a federal task force fighting against drug cartels and human trafficking rings, issued pardons to convicted felons who have expressed pro-Trump sympathies, and pardoned hundreds who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Trump has even helped some criminals through his heavy-handed approach to immigration. As he has increased ICE raids around the country, criminals have begun posing as ICE agents as a pretext to commit criminal acts.
From international crime to local street thugs, a Trump-powered crime wave may just be rising.