In a move that prioritizes political relationships over criminal prosecution, the Trump administration is working to dismiss serious terrorism charges against a high-ranking MS-13 gang leader. Court documents unsealed this week reveal federal prosecutors are seeking to deport Vladimir Antonio Arevalo-Chavez to El Salvador rather than try him in the United States.
Legal experts are sounding the alarm about the dangerous precedent this sets. Arevalo-Chavez, who serves on MS-13’s “Ranfla Nacional” leadership council, faces charges including racketeering, terrorism, and narco-terrorism conspiracy. The Justice Department’s own filing cites “geopolitical and national security concerns” as justification for the unusual dismissal.
What makes this case particularly troubling is Arevalo-Chavez’s reported knowledge of a secret 2019 pact between Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s government and MS-13. This agreement allegedly involved providing money and territory to the notorious gang in exchange for reduced violence and electoral support – information that could prove devastating to Bukele’s carefully cultivated tough-on-crime image.
The deportation appears connected to a controversial agreement allowing the U.S. to house immigrants in El Salvador’s maximum-security Cecot prison. Political science professor Michael Ahn Paarlberg described the situation in stark terms: “This is collusion between two governments to cover up a gang pact by dropping charges on known gangsters.”
This isn’t an isolated incident. In March, another MS-13 leader, Cesar Humberto López-Larios, had his charges quietly dismissed before being deported to El Salvador. Both men reportedly possessed damaging information about Bukele’s secret negotiations with MS-13 leadership.
The case raises serious questions about whether diplomatic relationships and immigration policies are being prioritized over justice and transparency in the criminal justice system.
