US deports more than 200 alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador
Topic:Law, Crime and Justice
10m ago10 minutes agoMon 17 Mar 2025 at 1:42am
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In short:
At least 238 alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua have been deported and sent to El Salvador.
The alleged gang members were deported by the US and taken to a high-security prison.
US President Donald Trump deported the alleged gang members by invoking the 1798 Alien Enemies Act.
More than 200 alleged members of a Venezuelan gang have been deported by the US and sent to El Salvador, where they were taken to a high-security prison, according to the Salvadoran president.
In a proclamation published on Saturday, US President Donald Trump invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to rapidly deport alleged members of Tren de Aragua, a criminal organisation that has been linked to kidnapping, extortion and contract killings.
A federal judge in Washington, DC, blocked the application of the law for 14 days, saying the statute refers to "hostile acts" perpetrated by another country that are "commensurate to war".
A man stands on top of a roof with a gun pointed down towards a group of men in white shirts.
The deportation of the alleged members of the gang was part of an agreement with the Salvadoran government. (Secretaria de Prens de la Presidencia via Reuters.)
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said in a post on X that 238 alleged members of the Venezuelan gang had arrived in his country on Sunday and were transferred to the Terrorism Confinement Center — a mega-prison that can hold up to 40,000 inmates for a one-year period that could be renewed.
Mr Bukele also posted a video showing shackled men escorted off a plane by Salvadoran authorities and bussed to a prison.
Detainees then had their heads and beards shaved and were placed in a cell.
A group of men in white shirts walk with their heads down while being held by men in black ski masks.
Salvadoran police officers escort alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua recently deported by the US government. (Secretaria de Prens de la Presidencia via Reuters.)
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an X post that more than 250 alleged members of Tren de Aragua had been sent to El Salvador.
The timing of when the flights carrying the alleged gang members departed the US and arrived in El Salvador remained unclear.
US District Judge James Boasberg issued the order blocking the use of the Alien Enemies Act during a hearing on Saturday evening before 7pm EDT, with the written notice appearing in the case docket at 7:25pm, local time.
In the hearing, Judge Boasberg said any flights carrying migrants processed under the law should return to the US.
The American Civil Liberties Union, which challenged Mr Trump's use of the act, has asked the administration to ensure that it has not removed any migrants in violation of the order, lead ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt told Reuters.
"If anyone was turned over to a foreign government after the court's order, then we would hope that the United States government would work with that foreign government to get the individuals back," Mr Gelernt said.
The US Department of Homeland Security, the State Department and the Salvadoran government did not respond to requests for comment.
"Oopsie … Too late," Mr Bukele posted on Sunday in response to an article about the order blocking the deportations, adding a laughing emoji.
What is the Alien Enemies Act?
The Alien Enemies Act — best known for its use to justify internment camps for people of Japanese, German and Italian descent during World War Two — would let the Trump administration bypass US immigration courts and speedily remove the migrants.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government said it rejected the use of the "anachronistic" US law to deport alleged gang members, saying it violated migrants' rights.
The US government has not provided detailed information about the deportees or any criminal convictions.
Both Mr Bukele and Mr Rubio said the US had also sent 23 members of the Salvadoran gang MS-13 to El Salvador.
The Associated Press reported on Saturday that the US had agreed to pay El Salvador $US6 million ($9.4 million) to imprison 300 alleged members of Tren de Aragua for one year.
Mr Trump's supporters in Congress have raised the threat of impeaching judges who have ruled against the administration.
A man wearing all black with a cap stands with his arms crossed looking down at Donald Trump speaking.
Elon Musk has been a frequent fixture at the Trump White House, as head of the Department of Government Efficiency. (Reuters: Kevin Lamarque)
Elon Musk, the billionaire Trump backer whose Department of Government Efficiency has ended up in the cross hairs of much of the litigation, has regularly called for removing judges on his social media site, X.
Mr Trump launched a wide-ranging immigration crackdown after taking office on January 20, vowing to deport millions of immigrants in the US illegally.
While the Trump administration has struggled to increase deportation numbers, it has opened up new avenues to arrest and remove migrants.
The Trump administration has filed an appeal against Saturday's legal decision at the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
AP/Reuters
Posted10m ago10 minutes agoMon 17 Mar 2025 at 1:42am
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