The United States (US) has deported over 200 Venezuelans to El Salvador, despite a court order blocking the move.
The deportees, alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang, were flown to El Salvador and taken to a notorious
mega-jail. The deportation was carried out under a presidential proclamation invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798,
a centuries-old law that allows the president to deport individuals deemed a threat to national security.
However, a federal judge had issued a ruling blocking the deportation, citing concerns about due process and the use
of the Alien Enemies Act. Despite this, the Trump administration went ahead with the deportation, sparking criticism
from human rights groups.
The Tren de Aragua gang is estimated to have thousands of members across eight countries, and has been linked to
violent crimes and human trafficking. However, critics argue that the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies
Act is an overreach of executive power.
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El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, a Trump ally, has welcomed the deportees and promised to hold them in the
country’s maximum-security facility. The move has been seen as a sign of strengthening diplomatic ties between the
US and El Salvador.
Human rights groups have condemned the deportation, arguing that it violates due process and puts the deportees at
risk of mistreatment in El Salvador’s notorious prison system.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has criticized the Trump administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act,
arguing that it is an unconstitutional overreach of executive power.
