The US has transferred 17 members of the Venezuela-based Tren de Aragua gang and MS-13 to high-security prisons in El Salvador. The State Department described the move as a successful counterterrorism operation targeting criminals, including murderers and rapists.

The deportations follow former President Donald Trump’s decision to designate both gangs as Foreign Terrorist Organizations. El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele previously confirmed that 238 Tren de Aragua members and 23 MS-13 members had been returned from the US on March 17.