Summary

  • El Salvador President Nayib Bukele says at the White House that he will not return a man that the US government admits was mistakenly deported to a notorious mega-prison

  • The US Supreme Court has ruled that the Trump administration must "facilitate" the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was granted protection from deportation by a court in 2019

  • Bukele made the comments while visiting Trump, who says Bukele is "really helping us out"

  • The two men became key allies after Trump began sending Venezuelan immigrants to the notorious Cecot prison in El Salvador

  • He accuses the deportees of being gang members, but critics say for many of them, there is little evidence of that

  • Trump also said he is "all for" sending criminals who are US citizens to the prison, if the law allows it

Key immigration moments from Trump and Bukele meeting

Live Reporting

Edited by Caitlin Wilson and Jake Lapham in Washington DC, with Bernd Debusmann Jr and Nomia Iqbal at the White House

  1. White House waits for Bukele

    Bernd Debusmann Jr
    Reporting from the White House

    Exterior of the White HousdeBernd Debusmann Jr/BBC News

    I arrived here at the White House a short while ago to find a steady stream of reporters trickling in for Nayib Bukele's visit, including a large contingent of the very active Spanish-language media in the US.

    As I walked in, I also saw military personnel in dress uniform walking the grounds, instructing fellow service members on the well-rehearsed ceremonial process for the arrival of a foreign leader.

    The visit will begin with Bukele's arrival to the White House at approximately 1100 AM EST (1500 GMT).

    That will be quickly followed by a meeting between him and President Trump in the Oval Office. Part of that will be open to the media, and we're likely to hear from both men at that same. They'll have lunch after that.

    As an aside, over the last few days I chatted to some of the many, many Salvadorans I've met living in Washington DC - most of whom are enthusiastic Bukele supporters. Some polls have put his support in El Salvador at over 90%.

    Of the people I spoke to, almost all pointed to his efforts at fighting crime and gangs as the reason why.

    "I could barely go anywhere or do anything when I went to San Salvador before him," one woman told me. "Now there's much less to worry about."

  2. Who is Nayib Bukele? A crucial ally to Trump

    Bukele speaking whilst standing at a lectern, holding his right hand up and out to the sideReuters

    Nayib Bukele of El Salvador is arguably Latin America’s most popular leader for his takedown of gangs. He loves to project his tough-on-crime persona by calling himself "the world's coolest dictator".

    A former mayor of his country's capital, San Salvador, Bukele first won his presidential run in 2019 on a pledge to create a "new era", taking on gang violence and corruption, and foster better relations with the US.

    He was re-elected for a second term in February 2024 in a landslide victory with 84% of the votes.

    At 43, his popularity has soared following a crackdown on crime which drove down the country's murder rate, turning it into a country safer than Canada, according to Salvadorean government data.

    Despite his popularity, Bukele remains a controversial figure. Human rights groups say that thousands have been arbitrarily arrested during his anti-gang drive. An estimated 85,000 people have been arrested under emergency measure that have been repeatedly extended.

    He received a rock-star welcome last year at a conservative gathering outside Washington as he urged people to “unapologetically fight” against what he called “dark forces".

    And now with a role in the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration crackdown, he has also helped establish himself as a crucial regional ally to the US president.

  3. What's happening today?

    It’s a meeting of two presidents - Donald Trump for the US and Nayib Bukele from El Salvador.

    Bukele is being hosted by Trump at the White House at around 11:00 local time, (16:00 BST), according to Trump’s schedule.

    The pair will then be speaking to the media from the Oval Office to kick things off.

    They will also have lunch together, which will be closed to the press.

  4. The 'world's coolest dictator' visits Trump

    Imogen James
    Live reporter

    A group of bald men in white shorts and tshirts being held with their necks pushed down into a crouching position. The men holding them are prison guards, with black ski masks on and batons. They are all in a long line in a grey roomEPA

    Prisoners at El Salvador's Cecot

    We'll be watching shortly as El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele meets US President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington.

    The small Central American country has been under much media attention since the US began sending hundreds of Venezuelan migrants - whom the Trump administration alleges are gang members - to its notorious mega-prison known as Cecot.

    The Centre for Terrorism Confinement, is a maximum-security facility built to house violent members of the MS-13 and 18th Street gangs.

    Now, Trump and Bukele - who once referred to himself on X as "the world's coolest dictator" - have formed an important political alliance.

    We'll be covering the meeting, scheduled to begin this morning Washington time, with our reporters at the White House to bring you the key details.

    Stick with us.