The number of Salvadorans deported in the first half of 2026 grew by 73.8% with 10,504 cases, compared to the same period in 2025 and driven by returns from the United States, according to official data collected.
Figures from the General Directorate of Immigration and Immigration (DGME) indicate that between January and June of the current year, the deportations of Salvadorans from the United States grew by 77%, reaching 9,829 compared to 5,553 in the first half of 2025.
In the case of Mexico, there was a growth of 59 cases, going from 454 in 2025 to 513 in 2026, while returns from other countries increased from 37 to 162 people, for a growth of 337.8%.
According to official figures, in 2025, 16,051 Salvadorans were deported, 7.1% more than the previous year, when there were 14,986.
Last week, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele and his American counterpart, Donald Trump, reportedly had a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House.
The meeting was on Trump’s official agenda, but the White House did not offer information about the content of the meeting and sources from the Salvadoran Government limited themselves to telling EFE that it was “a private meeting.”
It is unknown whether at said meeting they addressed a possible renewal of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for some 170,000 Salvadorans registered since 2001, according to data from The National Immigration Forum.
TPS for Salvadorans was authorized in 2001 by President George W. Bush after two earthquakes shook El Salvador that year.
The Trump Administration last year extended TPS for Salvadorans until September 9, 2026, allowing them to have work permits until that date.
