Trump to Tap DHS Deputy Secretary Troy Edgar as U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador, Sources Say

President Donald Trump plans to nominate Troy Edgar, the deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to serve as the next U.S. ambassador to El Salvador, multiple sources told CBS News. The move would represent a notable shift in senior DHS leadership and deepen ties between the administration and El Salvador on security and migration matters.

Troy Edgar was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in March, meaning he is eligible to assume the ambassadorial post without another Senate confirmation, sources said. No official start date has been announced, though several sources expect the transition to occur soon.

Spokespeople for the White House and DHS did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Multiple sources said Edgar and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have maintained a strong working relationship.

Context: Immigration, Security and Human Rights

El Salvador has played a central role in the administration's broader immigration enforcement strategy. In March, the president invoked the 200-year-old Alien Enemies Act to send migrants to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador as part of efforts to deport individuals his administration said were linked to Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan criminal organization. CBS News previously reported that many of those men did not have criminal convictions.

The group detained in El Salvador was later returned to Venezuela in a U.S.-brokered exchange over the summer. A report last month by human rights organizations concluded that the detentions and treatment of more than 200 Venezuelan migrants at the facility met international-law thresholds for arbitrary detention, torture and enforced disappearance.

In April, President Trump met with El Salvador's president, Nayib Bukele, a populist leader admired by some U.S. conservatives for his hardline anti-gang measures implemented under a state of exception. That policy gave police and the military broad powers to detain suspected gang members, raising concerns about due process and civil liberties.

Last month, the administration also announced a framework for reciprocal trade agreements with several South and Central American governments, including El Salvador, signaling closer cooperation on economic and security priorities.

Edgar's Background and Domestic Enforcement

According to DHS, Edgar previously served as the agency's chief financial officer and as an associate deputy undersecretary, overseeing a roughly $90 billion budget and managing funding for immigration policy and border wall construction during Mr. Trump's first term. His experience on budget and operations likely influenced the administration's decision to consider him for the diplomatic post.

Domestically, federal immigration authorities have recently conducted enhanced operations in the Minneapolis–St. Paul area, targeting communities with large Somali populations, and increased enforcement activity in New Orleans. Those moves are part of a broader surge in immigration enforcement in several cities.

Sources say the nomination, if finalized, would both reshape DHS leadership and underscore the administration's emphasis on coordinating immigration, security and diplomatic efforts in the region.