Trump Administration Deports Hundreds of Venezuelans in Defiance of Court Order | US News
Dozens of suspected gang members from Venezuela have been deported to a supermax prison in El Salvador by the White House, despite a US judge’s order temporarily blocking these removals.
US District Judge James E. Boasberg issued a stay on Saturday against the deportations ordered by the Trump administration. However, attorneys informed him that two planes carrying immigrants were already en route — one to El Salvador and the other to Honduras.
Judge Boasberg instructed that the planes should return, but this direction was not documented in his formal order.
Salvadoran police escorting alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. Pic: El Salvador’s Presidency Press Office/Reuters
Pic: El Salvador’s Presidency Press Office/Reuters
Pic: El Salvador’s Presidency Press Office/Reuters
On Sunday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated, “The administration did not ‘disregard’ a court ruling.”
She added, “The order lacked a lawful foundation and was issued after terrorist TdA (Tren de Aragua gang) individuals had already been expelled from US soil.”
In a court submission on Sunday, the Department of Justice, which is appealing Judge Boasberg’s decision, mentioned it would refrain from applying the Trump proclamation he blocked for future deportations unless his ruling is overturned.
President Donald Trump avoided directly addressing whether his administration breached a court order while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday evening, but noted, “I can assure you of this: These were bad people.”
Pic: El Salvador’s Presidency Press Office/Reuters
Police officers cutting the hair of alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua recently deported by the U.S. government. Pic: El Salvador’s Presidency Press Office/Reuters
Pic: El Salvador’s Presidency Press Office/Reuters
When asked about invoking presidential powers typical in wartime, Mr. Trump asserted, “We are in a time of war.”
He characterized the surge of criminal migrants as “an invasion.”
President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador, who agreed to accommodate around 300 immigrants in his country’s prisons for a year at a cost of $6 million, responded on social media with “Oopsie…Too late,” appearing above an article about Judge Boasberg’s ruling.
The deportations were executed following Mr. Trump’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, invoked only thrice in U.S. history — during the War of 1812 and the World Wars.
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Tren de Aragua originated in a notoriously chaotic prison in Venezuela’s Aragua state and coincided with the exodus of millions of Venezuelans, primarily fleeing deteriorating living conditions as their nation’s economy collapsed over the past decade.
The Trump administration has yet to confirm the identities of the deported immigrants, or provide evidence of their affiliations with Tren de Aragua, or any crimes committed in the U.S.
Additionally, two prominent members of the Salvadoran MS-13 gang were also sent to El Salvador after being apprehended in the U.S.
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Video footage released by the Salvadoran government depicted the handcuffed individuals — who had undergone head shaving — being transported to prison in a heavily guarded convoy comprising police, military vehicles, and at least one helicopter.
The immigrants were directed to the infamous CECOT facility.
The prohibition on deportations is effective for up to 14 days, during which the immigrants will remain in federal custody.
Judge Boasberg has scheduled a hearing for Friday to consider further arguments regarding the case.
