US deports ex-presidential candidate to El Salvador for bribery

The US has deported former presidential candidate Norman Quijano to El Salvador, where he was convicted of bribing gangs. Norman Quijano, 79, arrived in the country to serve a 13-year prison sentence.

Quijano was convicted in absentia in April 2024 for paying $100,000 to gangs to buy votes when he was mayor of the capital, San Salvador. Specifically, he was accused of paying $50,000 to Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and $25,000 to each of the two factions of Barrio 18.

After his immunity was lifted in 2021, the judiciary accused him of bribery. He was arrested in the US in March 2025 and extradited to El Salvador.

President Nayib Bukele commented on the deportation via X, stressing that it sends a message to those trying to evade justice. Since March 2022, Bukele has declared a "war" on gangs, resulting in the arrest of over 90,000 people.