President Donald Trump has again suggested deporting U.S. citizens convicted of violent crimes to El Salvador’s notorious mega-prisons, reinforcing a proposal first floated earlier in the year and deepening alarm over his administration’s direction on criminal justice and citizenship rights.

Speaking alongside Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele at the White House on Monday, Trump remarked: “Home-growns are next. You gotta build about five more places. It’s not big enough,” referring to El Salvador’s sprawling Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT). The remark comes just weeks after his administration deported hundreds of Venezuelan migrants accused of gang activity directly to the facility.

The White House confirmed last week that internal discussions had taken place regarding the legal viability of removing American citizens deemed a national security threat. Press Secretary Jude Winters stated in an off-camera briefing, “All options are being considered. We’re not drawing artificial lines when it comes to public safety.”

Despite that, the Trump administration has continued exploring legal avenues to expand the 1798 Alien Enemies Act and reinterpret federal authority under emergency and wartime conditions. Homeland Security sources have confirmed that a task force has been evaluating potential categories of “removable threats,” including naturalized and U.S.-born individuals tied to gang networks.

Civil liberties groups and constitutional law scholars have condemned the rhetoric and legal maneuvering as authoritarian. “This is beyond unconstitutional—it’s a threat to the very idea of citizenship,” said Sherrilyn Ifill, former president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

The Department of Justice has not released any legal memo outlining the proposal’s feasibility, but internal sources report that discussions have included bypassing standard judicial processes under new executive security authorities.

Meanwhile, the Salvadoran government has made no indication that it would formally accept American citizens into its prison system. But Bukele appeared receptive during the joint press event, saying, “If they want to send more, we’ll make space.”

The Crustian Daily will continue to follow developments on the administration’s campaign to redefine the limits of American citizenship and expand extrajudicial detention.