US Deports Hundreds of Venezuelans Despite Court Order
Hundreds of Venezuelans, allegedly tied to gangs, have been deported from the United States to a high-security prison in El Salvador, despite a federal judge’s order halting some deportations. Details below👇
El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele confirmed the arrival of the deportees on social media.
While the US government and El Salvador have not identified the detainees or provided details on their criminal activities, the deportations took place despite a court ruling blocking the removals.
A US District Judge, James Boasberg, had issued an order blocking the deportations, questioning the Trump administration’s use of a wartime law, the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, to justify the removals. The ruling came too late, however, as the flights had already departed.
“Oopsie... Too late,” President Bukele wrote in a social media post, referencing the judge's ruling.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the administration's actions, denying any violation of the court order. 'The administration did not 'refuse to comply' with a court order,' Leavitt said. She argued that the ruling had no legal foundation and that the deportations had already taken place by the time the judge issued the order.
President Trump had signed a proclamation invoking the Alien Enemies Act, accusing Tren de Aragua members of "perpetrating, attempting, and threatening an invasion or predatory incursion against the territory of the United States."
He also claimed that the gang’s activities constituted 'irregular warfare' against the US, a justification for their deportation. The Alien Enemies Act was previously used during World War II for the internment of Japanese-American civilians.
Despite the judge’s halt on deportations, a US Department of Justice filing confirmed that the deportees had already been removed from US territory.
The Justice Department has since appealed the ruling.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which had been involved in the lawsuit, expressed concerns that the court's order may have been violated, raising constitutional questions regarding the enforcement of federal court rulings.
Venezuela has condemned Trump’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act, claiming it "unjustly criminalizes Venezuelan migration" and evokes "the darkest episodes in the history of humanity, from slavery to the horror of the Nazi concentration camps."
Rights groups have also criticized the deportations, accusing the Trump administration of racially targeting Venezuelans based on alleged gang ties. Amnesty International USA described the actions as 'yet another example of the Trump administration's racist targeting' of Venezuelan migrants.
Upon arrival in El Salvador, the deportees were transferred to the Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot), a notorious mega-prison under President Bukele’s crackdown on organized crime. Bukele stated that the detainees would be held in Cecot for one year, with the possibility of renewal. Cecot, which can house up to 40,000 inmates, has faced accusations from human rights groups regarding the mistreatment of prisoners.
This operation marks a deepening of diplomatic ties between the US and El Salvador.
Bukele had previously offered to accept US deportees during a visit by US diplomats in February, citing the need to help finance the Cecot facility.The deportations come as part of Trump's ongoing campaign against illegal immigration. Earlier this year, Trump signed an executive order designating Tren de Aragua and MS-13 as foreign terrorist organizations. While illegal border crossings have reached historic lows during Trump's tenure, the president has expressed frustration with the slower pace of deportations.
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