Allegations of Collusion: Trump & Bukele Accused of Protecting Gang Secrets

Accusations of “collusion” are swirling around the Trump and Bukele administrations, as the US attempts to dismiss charges against a high-ranking MS-13 leader, Vladimir Antonio Arevalo-Chavez, and deport him to El Salvador. This unprecedented move, highlighted in unsealed court records, is alleged to be a joint effort to conceal a secret 2019 agreement between Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s government and MS-13. The pact reportedly involved the gang receiving money and territory in exchange for reducing violence and supporting Bukele’s party in elections.
Arevalo-Chavez, a key member of the gang’s “Ranfla Nacional” leadership, holds critical information about these alleged dealings. The Justice Department’s stated reasons for dismissal—”sensitive foreign policy considerations”—are viewed with skepticism by critics who see it as a political maneuver to safeguard Bukele’s reputation. This situation is further complicated by a deal allowing the US to use El Salvador’s Cecot prison for immigrants, and a similar recent quiet deportation of another MS-13 figure with inside knowledge, bolstering claims of a concerted effort to prevent public testimony.