The Biden administration spent years building cases against MS-13 leadership. Now, the Trump White House is quietly dismantling them.
Court documents unsealed Thursday reveal the Justice Department is attempting to dismiss charges against Vladimir Antonio Arevalo-Chavez, a member of MS-13’s “Ranfla Nacional” leadership council, citing “geopolitical and national security concerns.” This follows the March deportation of another gang leader, Cesar Humberto López-Larios, after similar charges were dropped.
Both men reportedly possess detailed knowledge of a secret 2019 agreement between Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele and MS-13 leadership—a pact that allegedly traded government concessions for reduced violence and political support. This deal collapsed in 2022, leading to Bukele’s massive anti-gang crackdown.
“This is collusion between two governments to cover up a gang pact by dropping charges on known gangsters in order to disappear them before they can testify,” said political science professor Michael Ahn Paarlberg. “It’s a criminal conspiracy between the Trump and Bukele administrations.”
The deportation efforts appear connected to a broader agreement allowing the US to house immigrants in El Salvador’s notorious Cecot prison, with Bukele specifically requesting the return of top MS-13 figures.
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