Trump Deports Venezuelan Gang Members Despite Ban

The United States deported over 200 Venezuelans and several members of the notorious MS-13 gang to El Salvador, despite a federal court ruling blocking such actions.

A plane carrying 238 alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and 23 MS-13 members landed in El Salvador on Sunday morning.

The detainees were immediately transferred to El Salvador's high-security Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot), where they will be held for at least one year, with the possibility of an extension.

The deportation took place just hours after US District Judge James Boasberg issued an order halting the deportations, ruling that President Donald Trump's administration had unlawfully invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to justify the removals.

The act allows the government to detain and deport individuals deemed a threat to national security without due process.

However, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele mocked the court's decision, posting on social media, "Too late," after the deportees had already arrived.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised Bukele for accepting the deportees, calling him "the strongest security leader in the region" and hailing the move as part of "the most extraordinary migration agreement in history."

The agreement, which was finalized during Rubio's visit to El Salvador in February, allows the US to send deportees to El Salvador in exchange for financial support to help expand the massive Cecot facility, which can house up to 40,000 inmates.

Human rights organizations have condemned the deportation and criticized the harsh conditions at Cecot, which has been accused of violating international standards for inmate treatment.

The latest deportation is part of Trump's aggressive crackdown on illegal immigration, which included designating Tren de Aragua and MS-13 as foreign terrorist organizations in January.

However, recent reports indicate that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has struggled to meet Trump's ambitious deportation targets.

Despite the legal battle, the Biden-appointed judge's order came too late to prevent the deportation, raising serious questions about the legality and ethics of the administration's actions.