Latest El Salvador News

El Salvador marks its first year under anti-gang crackdown

Mar. 27, 2023 21:44 PM EDT

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — The Central American nation of El Salvador marked a full year Monday under anti-gang emergency measures that were originally supposed to last only a month. It was the the first anniversary of President Nayib Bukele’s request for special powers to...

War on gangs forges new El Salvador. But the price is steep.

Mar. 22, 2023 15:56 PM EDT

SOYAPANGO, El Salvador (AP) — With semiautomatic weapons pressed to their chest, a pack of camouflage-clad police officers marches through rows of small brick homes winding up hills on the fringes of El Salvador’s capital. They rap sharply on door after door, pushing into homes...

Dems say some foreign gifts to Trump remain unaccounted for

Mar. 17, 2023 21:53 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump's White House has failed to report more than 100 gifts from foreign nations worth more than a quarter-million dollars, and federal officials have been unable to find a life-size painting of Trump given by the president of El Salvador as well as golf clubs from the...

El Salvador's congress extends anti-gang crackdown

Mar. 16, 2023 23:30 PM EDT

El Salvador’s congress has voted to approve yet another extension of emergency rules allowing police to round up suspected members of street gangs. The vote late Wednesday was widely expected, and marks the 12th such one-month extension granted to President Nayib Bukele since the...

Pizza parlor owner accused of physically abusing employees

Mar. 16, 2023 16:24 PM EDT

BOSTON (AP) — The owner of a Boston pizza parlor is accused of physically and verbally abusing a longtime immigrant employee who could not legally work in the U.S., forcing the employee to work long hours, and threatening to turn him over to immigration authorities if he protested, federal...

El Salvador: 2,000 more to prison, vows will 'never return'

Mar. 15, 2023 18:58 PM EDT

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — El Salvador’s government sent 2,000 more suspects to a huge new prison built especially for gang members Wednesday, and the the justice minister vowed that “they will never return” to the streets. The tough statement came as the administration...

Justice Department indicts 13 alleged leaders of MS-13 gang

Feb. 23, 2023 21:11 PM EST

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal prosecutors on Thursday announced charges against more than a dozen alleged high-ranking leaders of the international gang MS-13, accusing them of directing criminal activities including murder in the United States, El Salvador, Mexico and other countries over the past two...

Japanese company opens first auto parts plant in Guatemala

Feb. 15, 2023 18:29 PM EST

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — A Japanese company opened the first auto parts plant in Guatemala on Wednesday as part of an effort to boost the region's economy and curb outmigration. The plant is run by Yazaki North America, Inc. and makes automotive wiring harnesses. The $10 million...

El Salvador extends special powers in fight against gangs

Feb. 15, 2023 13:48 PM EST

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — El Salvador’s congress has approved President Nayib Bukele’s request to extend the period of special powers for another month, meaning the country will go at least a full year with some fundamental rights suspended in fight against gangs. ...

MS-13 gang members in Central America sanctioned by US

Feb. 08, 2023 15:18 PM EST

The United States Treasury Department sanctioned two members of the powerful Mara Salvatrucha on Wednesday, part of ongoing efforts by the U.S. to crack down on the gang commonly known as MS-13. One of the men is still at large. The sanctions were imposed on men in Honduras and...