A plane landed in El Salvador Sunday morning carrying over 200 Venezuelans deported by the US, even after a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from doing it. El Salvador's president Nayib Bukele posted online that 238 members of Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and 23 Mexican MS-13 gang members arrived on his soil. The deportations happened just hours after US Judge James Boasberg had legally stopped Trump from using an old wartime law for these removals.
Bukele mocked the judge's order with his social media comment, "Oopsie... Too late." He explained that the people were immediately sent to El Salvador's Terrorism Confinement Center for at least a year, possibly longer. Bukele mentioned that the United States pays them a small amount for holding these detainees, though it costs El Salvador much more. Secretary of State Marco Rubio thanked Bukele afterward, calling him "the strongest security leader in our region."
The legal battle started when Trump tried using the Alien Enemies Act from 1798, which lets the government remove people seen as threats without normal legal procedures. Judge Boasberg ordered any planes with deportees to turn back, according to the Washington Post. Video shared by Bukele shows lines of shackled people guided by armed officials from the plane into armored vehicles.
Trump signed a paper in January declaring both gangs as foreign terrorist groups. The deportations went ahead despite the court order, creating tension between judicial authority and executive action. The forced deportation raises questions about international cooperation and legal challenges faced by the current administration regarding immigration enforcement.
Bukele mocked the judge's order with his social media comment, "Oopsie... Too late." He explained that the people were immediately sent to El Salvador's Terrorism Confinement Center for at least a year, possibly longer. Bukele mentioned that the United States pays them a small amount for holding these detainees, though it costs El Salvador much more. Secretary of State Marco Rubio thanked Bukele afterward, calling him "the strongest security leader in our region."
The legal battle started when Trump tried using the Alien Enemies Act from 1798, which lets the government remove people seen as threats without normal legal procedures. Judge Boasberg ordered any planes with deportees to turn back, according to the Washington Post. Video shared by Bukele shows lines of shackled people guided by armed officials from the plane into armored vehicles.
Trump signed a paper in January declaring both gangs as foreign terrorist groups. The deportations went ahead despite the court order, creating tension between judicial authority and executive action. The forced deportation raises questions about international cooperation and legal challenges faced by the current administration regarding immigration enforcement.
