Trump deports 250 immigrants to El Salvador despite court order
2 Min Read
The Trump administration deported over 250 undocumented immigrants to El Salvador, using the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 despite a federal judge blocking the action.
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Prison guards transfer deportees from the US to the Terrorism Confinement Center in Tecoluca, El Salvador, on March 16, 2025. (AP)
The administration of US President Donald Trump deported more than 250 undocumented immigrants to El Salvador on Sunday, accusing them of links to a Venezuelan gang.
US President Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport five Venezuelan nationals, marking a controversial use of a wartime law in peacetime.
His administration justified the move on Saturday by labeling Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang a “Foreign Terrorist Organization” that has “unlawfully infiltrated the United States and are conducting irregular warfare.”
Civil liberties groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Democracy Forward, challenged the legality of this action, arguing that the act has historically been used only during wars, such as the War of 1812 and World Wars I and II.
The ACLU warned that Trump was attempting to “sidestep immigration law” to enable mass deportations without legal review.
More than 200 accused Venezuelans were deported from the United States to a supermax jail in El Salvador, despite a US judge blocking the deportation.
El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele said on social media that 238 members of Venezuela's Tren de Aragua gang, as well as 23 members of the worldwide MS-13 gang, arrived in the Central American country on Sunday morning.
Neither the US government nor El Salvador has named the inmates or provided information about their suspected crime or gang participation.
A federal judge's injunction barred the Trump administration from using a centuries-old wartime rule to justify the deportations, but the aircraft had already left.
"Oopsie... Too late," said President Bukele on social media, mocking the judge's decision.
Today, the first 238 members of the Venezuelan criminal organization, Tren de Aragua, arrived in our country. They were immediately transferred to CECOT, the Terrorism Confinement Center, for a period of one year (renewable).
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) March 16, 2025
The United States will pay a very low fee for them,… pic.twitter.com/tfsi8cgpD6
