US Deports Hundreds of Venezuelans Despite Court Order

The US government has deported hundreds of Venezuelans, defying a court order, sparking concerns over immigration policies and legal compliance.

Over 200 Venezuelans, whom the White House claims are gang members, have been deported from the US to a supermax prison in El Salvador, despite a US judge’s decision to block these removals.

On social media, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele announced that 238 members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and 23 international MS-13 gang members arrived in the Central American nation on Sunday morning.

The detainees have not been identified by either the US government or El Salvador, and no details about their alleged criminal activities or gang affiliations have been provided.

A federal judge issued an order that blocked the Trump administration from using a centuries-old wartime law to justify certain deportations; however, by then, the flights had already taken off.

“Oopsie… Too late,” Bukele remarked on social media in response to the judge’s decision.

A video accompanying one of his posts depicts lines of individuals with their hands and feet shackled, being escorted from the planes by armed officials.

Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, refuted any violation of the court ruling.

She stated that the administration did not “refuse to comply” with a court order.

The order, lacking any legal foundation, was issued after the Tren de Aragua (TdA) terrorists had already been removed from U.S. territory.

Watch: Lawyer confidently states U.S. deportations are undoubtedly illegal

On Saturday, US President Donald Trump announced that he had signed a proclamation to invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. He accused Tren de Aragua of “perpetrating, attempting, and threatening an invasion with predatory incursions against United States territory.”

He stated that gang members would face deportation for participating in “irregular warfare” against the US. The Alien Enemies Act was last invoked during World War Two to intern Japanese-American civilians.

On Saturday evening, in Washington DC, US District Judge James Boasberg issued a 14-day suspension on deportations under Trump’s proclamation, awaiting additional legal discussions.

According to US media, after being informed by lawyers that planes carrying deportees had already departed, Judge Boasberg verbally ordered the flights to return. However, this directive was not included in his written ruling.

The suspected offenders were transferred to El Salvador’s mega-jail.

According to the Reuters news agency, a written notice was added to the case docket at 19:25 EDT on Saturday (00:25 GMT on Sunday). However, it remains uncertain when exactly the flights carrying the alleged gang members left the United States.

In a court filing on Sunday, Department of Justice attorneys stated that the order did not apply because the deportees “had already been removed from United States territory.”

A senior administration official informed CBS News, the BBC’s U.S. partner, that 261 individuals were deported on Saturday. Of these, 137 were removed under the Alien Enemies Act due to alleged connections with gangs.

The Department of Justice has filed an appeal against the judge’s decision.

The court’s order may have been violated, according to the American Civil Liberties Union, which participated in the lawsuit against the Trump administration.

The case prompts constitutional concerns because, within the US system of checks and balances, government agencies are required to adhere to a federal judge’s decision.

Venezuela condemned Trump for invoking the Alien Enemies Act, stating that it “unfairly criminalizes Venezuelan migration” and “recalls some of humanity’s darkest chapters, ranging from slavery to the terror of Nazi concentration camps.”

Rights groups criticized Trump, alleging that he used a 227-year-old law to bypass due process.

Amnesty International USA posted on X, stating that the deportations represented “another instance of the Trump administration’s racist targeting” of Venezuelans “based on broad accusations of gang affiliation.”

President Bukele, an ally of Trump, stated that the detainees were promptly moved to El Salvador’s infamous mega-prison, known as the Terrorism Confinement Center (Cecot).

The President of El Salvador stated that they would be detained there “for a period of one year,” with the possibility of this being “extended.”

El Salvador’s Cecot prison is integral to President Bukele’s initiative to combat organized crime in the country.

Human rights groups have accused the newly constructed maximum-security facility, capable of holding up to 40,000 people, of mistreating inmates.

The agreement between the US and El Salvador signifies a strengthening of diplomatic relations.

El Salvador was the second country Rubio visited in his role as the United States’ top diplomat.

During the trip in February, Bukele proposed an initial offer to accept U.S. deportees, suggesting it would contribute towards funding the massive Cecot facility.

The recent deportations during Trump’s second term are a continuation of his longstanding effort to combat illegal immigration in the U.S.

In January, Trump issued an executive order designating Tren de Aragua and MS-13 as foreign terrorist organizations.

He gained voter support during the campaign, partly by pledging to implement the most extensive deportation operation in US history.

Since Trump took office, illegal border crossings have dropped to their lowest level in decades. However, reports suggest that the Republican president has been frustrated with how slowly deportations are proceeding.