Kristi Noem, Homeland Security secretary, will visit El Salvador as part of a three-country tour, which also includes Colombia and Mexico.
ABC News reported that the secretary would visit the Terrorist Confinement Center with the Minister of Justice and then meet with President Nayib Bukele.
Noem will meet the Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum as well as leaders from Colombia and Mexico this week.
Noem talked about her trip at a Cabinet Meeting held on Monday at the White House.
“I’ll be in the prison where we sent [Tren De Aragua] gang members,” she said. “I’ll be meeting with the president and also Colombia and Mexico and talking about building these relationships so we can continue to get people out of this country that don’t belong here and take them home.”
Noem told reporters that she spoke to President Donald Trump in regards to “sending a signal around the world” about the importance of not allowing people into the United States without permission.
A federal court ordered the deportation of over 200 Venezuelan Tren de Aragua members to El Salvador prisons earlier this month to be stopped.
The Department of Human Services has announced a $200 million advertising campaign to warn people about coming to the United States illegally and to urge those who are already in the country to leave.
Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at Homeland Security, stated in a press statement that “President Trump’s message to criminal aliens considering illegally entering America is: Don’t even think about it.”
Noem said Monday, “The U.S. government is currently in many other countries around the world with a message saying if you think about coming to America illegally – don’t. You are not welcome. You will face consequences if you try to enter the country without following legal procedures.”
