US deports hundreds of Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador under Alien Enemies Act

WASHINGTON: The United States on Sunday (local time) deported hundreds of alleged Venezuelan gang members from Tren de Aragua to El Salvador after President Donald Trump invoked the 18th century Aliens Enemies Act to expedite their deportation, CNN reported.

This came just before a federal judge issued a 14-day halt on the Trump administration’s ability to use the act, ordering any planes in the air carrying the deportees to return back to the US.

The judge said the temporary restraining order would remain in effect for 14 days “or until further order of the court”. One person familiar with the matter said the planes were already in the air at the time of the judge’s ruling, as reported by CNN.

“Particularly given the plaintiffs’ information, unrebutted by the government, that flights are actively departing and planning to depart, I do not believe that I’m able to wait any longer,” said US District Judge James Boasberg during the hearing. “Any plane containing these folks that is going to take off or is in the air needs to be returned to the United States”.

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).

The United States will pay a very low fee for them,… pic.twitter.com/tfsi8cgpD6

— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) March 16, 2025

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that “hundreds of violent criminals were sent out of our country” after Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act on Saturday. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later said that the Department of Homeland Security had arrested nearly 300 members of Tren de Aragua over the weekend, CNN reported.

Meanwhile, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele offered to imprison the alleged gang members in exchange for the return of two leaders of the MS-13 gang, as well as 21 other Salvadorans to “face justice in their homeland.”

The US will also pay $6 million to El Salvador to house the deportees. The El Salvador President said the money will help sustain the penitentiary system, which currently costs $200 million annually. Bukele also said the action will help law enforcement gather intelligence and apprehend MS-13 members.

Rubio thanked the Bukele and said in a post on X that the US “sent two dangerous top MS-13 leaders plus 21 of its most wanted back to face justice in El Salvador. Also, as promised by @POTUS, we sent over 250 alien enemy members of Tren de Aragua, which El Salvador has agreed to hold in their very good jails at a fair price that will also save our taxpayer dollars.”

The White House has designated the Venezuelan gang as a foreign terrorist organization and said in a presidential proclamation that many of them have “unlawfully infiltrated the United States and are conducting irregular warfare and undertaking hostile actions against the United States”. (ANI)