More than 200 Venezuelan nationals, whom the White House has alleged are members of violent gangs, have been deported from the United States to El Salvador — despite a federal judge’s order temporarily blocking their removal.
El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele announced on social media that 238 alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and 23 MS-13 members arrived in El Salvador on Sunday morning. The group was immediately transferred to the country’s controversial mega-prison, the Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot), where they will be held for a year, with the possibility of an extension.
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Neither the U.S. nor El Salvador has provided names or specific criminal evidence against the deportees. However, video footage released by Bukele showed shackled detainees being escorted by armed guards off planes. Bukele appeared to mock the U.S. court ruling, posting, “Oopsie… Too late,” in response to the deportations occurring before the judge’s block.
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., had issued a 14-day stay on the deportations late Saturday, pending further legal proceedings. U.S. media reported that the judge verbally ordered the flights to return mid-air, though this was not included in his written ruling. The Department of Justice argued the order was issued after the individuals had already left U.S. territory and was therefore inapplicable.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the administration’s actions, claiming the court order lacked lawful basis and did not apply to individuals already removed from the U.S. “The administration did not ‘refuse to comply’ with a court order,” she said.
President Donald Trump had invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, historically used during wartime, to authorize the deportations. He accused Tren de Aragua of conducting “irregular warfare” and said the group posed a threat of “predatory incursion” into U.S. territory. The law was last used to detain Japanese-American civilians during World War II.
Trump’s administration reported deporting 261 individuals on Saturday, 137 of whom were removed under the Alien Enemies Act due to alleged gang affiliations. The Justice Department has appealed the judge’s ruling.
Civil liberties groups, including the ACLU and Amnesty International USA, condemned the deportations and Trump’s use of the 227-year-old law, calling it a violation of constitutional rights and due process. Venezuela also criticized the move, saying it unjustly criminalized Venezuelan migrants and evoked historical human rights abuses.
El Salvador’s Cecot prison — which can house up to 40,000 inmates — has faced scrutiny from human rights groups for alleged mistreatment of detainees. Bukele, a close Trump ally, offered to receive U.S. deportees during a diplomatic visit in February, framing the move as part of his country’s efforts to combat organized crime and justify Cecot’s construction costs.
This mass deportation marks a new chapter in Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration. Earlier this year, he designated Tren de Aragua and MS-13 as foreign terrorist organizations and promised to carry out the largest deportation campaign in U.S. history. While illegal border crossings have sharply declined under Trump’s presidency, the president has reportedly expressed frustration with what he sees as slow progress in deportation operations.
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