politics
U.S. Deportations to El Salvador Nearly Double in Early 2026
Official figures show the U.S. deported 5,033 Salvadorans in the first three months of 2026, a 98% increase from the same period in 2025. The rise coincides with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele's alignment with the Trump administration on immigration enforcement.
May 13, 5:07 PM·2m read5 sources
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The number of people deported to El Salvador from the United States reached 5,033 in the first three months of 2026, according to figures released by El Salvador’s migration authority. That compares with 2,547 deportees in the same period of 2025. Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has publicly aligned himself with the Trump administration’s immigration agenda.
In March 2025, El Salvador accepted 238 Venezuelan deportees accused of belonging to the Tren de Aragua gang and imprisoned them in a mega-prison as part of its anti-gang campaign. The transfers followed a bilateral arrangement in which the United States agreed to pay El Salvador $6 million for the transfer and imprisonment of foreign criminals.
Bukele has joined the Shield of the Americas coalition with other regional leaders to address criminal groups in Latin America. Migration from El Salvador has declined in recent years following Bukele’s crackdown on gangs. In 2023, El Salvador began charging a $1,130 fee on travelers from certain countries transiting its main airport.
In a separate development, Bahamian voters re-elected Prime Minister Philip Davis and the Progressive Liberal Party on May 12. The victory gives Davis a second consecutive term, the first time a Bahamian leader has achieved that in nearly 30 years. Early tallies showed the party on track to secure more than 30 of the 41 seats in parliament.
Davis called the snap election ahead of the Atlantic hurricane season. He told supporters the result represented a mandate to expand opportunity, strengthen security, ease pressure on families and deliver progress. The opposition Free National Movement was projected to win only eight seats, with several of its senior figures losing their races.
Davis had removed value-added tax from grocery store food in the months before the vote. “The Bahamian people have spoken, and I receive their verdict with humility and gratitude. ” — Philip Davis, May 2026. The election marked the first back-to-back wins by the same party since 1997.
