Despite a judicial injunction, the United States has deported more than 200 Venezuelans, allegedly affiliated with criminal gangs, to a high-security prison in El Salvador, according to a report by the BBC on Monday (17 March).
The report states that over 200 suspected Venezuelan gang members were expelled to El Salvador’s Supermax prison, despite a US federal judge having issued an order to halt the deportation.
El Salvador President Nayib Bukele announced on social media that among the deportees were 238 members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, who arrived in the Central American country on Sunday morning, accompanied by 23 members of the notorious transnational gang MS-13.
Neither the US nor El Salvadoran authorities have disclosed the identities of those deported, nor have they provided details of their alleged criminal activities or gang affiliations.
A federal judge had previously ruled against invoking a centuries-old wartime law to justify the deportations.
However, by the time the ruling was issued, flights carrying the deportees had already departed.
Bukele, in a social media post mocking the court ruling, remarked, “Oops… too late.” A video he shared showed armed officers escorting shackled prisoners off an aircraft in an orderly formation.
The deportees have been immediately transferred to El Salvador’s infamous Mega Prison, known as the Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT), where they will be held for “one year, subject to renewal,” according to Bukele.
US President Donald Trump had signed a declaration the previous Saturday, branding Tren de Aragua as conducting “irregular warfare” against the United States. He subsequently invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to justify their expulsion.
However, later that evening, Washington DC District Judge James Boasberg issued an order suspending the deportations for 14 days, allowing for further legal arguments.
Despite this, the flights had already taken off. According to reports from US media, Boasberg issued a verbal instruction for the flights to be recalled, although this directive was not included in his formal ruling.
Reuters reported that an official case document confirming the suspension order was published at 7:25 pm on Saturday. However, the exact departure time of the aircraft carrying the deportees remains unclear.
On Sunday, US Department of Justice lawyers argued in court that the order had not been violated, as those deported had already been removed from US jurisdiction before the ruling took effect.
White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt stated that the administration had not defied the court’s directive, while the US Department of Justice has filed an appeal against the ruling.
